Editing Tripoli, Libya (section)

===Libyan Civil War (2011)===
{{See also|Libyan civil war (2011)|Battle of Tripoli (2011)|2019–20 Western Libya offensive}}
[[File:Battle of Tripoli.svg|thumb|400px|Front lines during the Battle of Tripoli (20–28 August 2011)]]

In February and March 2011, Tripoli witnessed intense [[2011 Tripoli clashes|anti-government protests and violent government responses]] resulting in hundreds killed and wounded. The city's [[Green Square, Tripoli|Green Square]] was the scene of some of the protests. The anti-Gaddafi protests were eventually crushed, and Tripoli was the site of pro-Gaddafi rallies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.libyafeb17.com/2011/02/pro-gaddafi-demonstrations-in-tripoli/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720154815/http://archive.libyafeb17.com/2011/02/pro-gaddafi-demonstrations-in-tripoli/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=20 July 2013|title=Pro-Gaddafi demonstrations in Tripoli – Libya February 17th – Archive site}}</ref>

The city defenses loyal to Gaddafi included the military headquarters at [[Bab al-Azizia|Bab al-Aziziyah]] (where Gaddafi's main residence was located) and the [[Mitiga International Airport]]. At the latter, on 13 March, Ali Atiyya, a colonel of the [[Libyan Air Force (1951–2011)|Libyan Air Force]], defected and joined the revolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/crowd-mourns-ali-hassan-al-jabir/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712013133/http://archive.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/crowd-mourns-ali-hassan-al-jabir/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=12 July 2012 |title=Breaking: Body of Al Jazeera Cameraman Ali Al Jabir Arrives in Doha |publisher=Libyafeb17.com |date=13 March 2011 |access-date=20 March 2011}}</ref>

In late February, rebel forces took control of [[Zawiya, Libya|Zawiya]], a city approximately {{convert|50|km|abbr=on}} to the west of Tripoli, thus increasing the threat to pro-Gaddafi forces in the capital. During the subsequent [[First Battle of Zawiya|battle of Zawiya]], loyalist forces besieged the city and eventually recaptured it by 10 March.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/10/zawiya-town-itv-regime-battle |title=Zawiya town centre devastated and almost deserted &#124; Libya |first=Bill |last=Neely |date=10 March 2011 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=2022-03-13}}</ref>

As the [[2011 military intervention in Libya]] commenced on 19 March to enforce a U.N. no-fly zone over the country, the city once again came under air attack. It was the second time that Tripoli was bombed since the 1986 U.S. airstrikes, and the second time since the 1986 airstrike that bombed [[Bab al-Azizia]], Gaddafi's heavily fortified compound.

In July and August, Libyan online revolutionary communities posted tweets and updates on attacks by rebel fighters on pro-government vehicles and checkpoints. In one such attack, [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]] and [[Abdullah Senussi]] were targets.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Worth |first=Robert F. |title=Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam comes out of hiding – and wants to be president |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/gaddafis-son-saif-al-islam-comes-out-of-hiding-and-wants-to-be-president-hsjnkjdzn |access-date=2023-02-21 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> The government, however, denied revolutionary activity inside the capital.

Several months after the initial uprising, rebel forces in the [[Nafusa Mountains]] advanced towards the coast, [[Second Battle of Zawiya|retaking Zawiya]] and reaching Tripoli on 21 August. On 21 August, the symbolic Green Square, immediately renamed Martyrs' Square by the rebels, was taken under rebel control and pro-Gaddafi posters were torn down and burned.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=2011-08-22 |title=Libyan rebels take Tripoli's Green Square |language=en |work=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/libyan-rebels-take-tripolis-green-square |access-date=2022-06-08}}</ref>

During a radio address on 1 September, Gaddafi declared that the capital of the [[Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya]] had been moved from Tripoli to [[Sirte]], after rebels had taken control of Tripoli.

In August and September 2014, Islamist armed groups extended their control of central Tripoli. The [[House of Representatives (Libya)|House of Representatives]] parliament set up operations on a Greek car ferry in [[Tobruk]]. A rival [[New General National Congress]] parliament continued to operate in Tripoli.<ref name="WPost Aug. 24">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egypt-denies-intervening-in-libya/2014/08/24/88b364ee-2b7d-11e4-be9e-60cc44c01e7f_story.html|title=Libya's Islamist militias claim control of capital|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=24 August 2014|access-date=26 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825135414/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egypt-denies-intervening-in-libya/2014/08/24/88b364ee-2b7d-11e4-be9e-60cc44c01e7f_story.html|archive-date=25 August 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=guardian-20140909>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/09/libyan-parliament-refuge-greek-car-ferry |title=Libyan parliament takes refuge in Greek car ferry |author=Chris Stephen |newspaper=The Guardian |date=9 September 2014 |access-date=24 September 2014}}</ref>