Tripoli Brigade
| Tripoli Brigade | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | April 2011 - present |
| Country |
 Libya
|
| Allegiance | National Transitional Council |
| Branch | National Liberation Army |
| Size | 16,000 |
| Garrison/HQ | Tripoli |
| Engagements | Post-civil war violence in Libya |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Col. Hakim Buhagir |
| Notable commanders |
Col. Mahdi al-Harati |
The Tripoli Brigade or Free Tripoli Guardian is a unit of the National Liberation Army of Libya created during the Libyan Civil War. Originally formed in April 2011 in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, it later relocated to the Nafusa Mountains, then the closest frontline to Tripoli, before advancing into the city itself in August.
In November 2011, the brigade began taking measures to disband and integrate itself more with the N.T.C.'s new national army, the brigade announced over its Twitter account.
The brigade's Commander-in-Chief is a Libyan-Irish citizen Mahdi al-Harati, Khaled Buzakhar is deputy commander and co founder in [Nalut], and Abu Oweis is deputy commander. Mohamed Tabuni is the brigade's General Commander. Col Abdul Latif is the commander of Seraai al-Hamra, one of the four sub-brigades of the overall Tripoli Brigade.
In February 2011 Mahdi al-Harati travelled from Ireland to Benghazi and began to create a well-organised group that could fight in the western provinces of Libya. He gathered 15 highly educated men, all of whom had extensive expertise and skills. The proposal for a Tripoli revolutionary brigade was put before the Benghazi-based National Transitional Council, and was immediately approved. Within days the Tripoli Brigade had 150 recruits. They received basic military training before transferring to the mountains in the western provinces. By August 2011, the brigade had 570 men from all over the country within its ranks.
The brigade started with a core group of 15 men, but grew within days to 150, during the training period in Zintan and Nalut numbers swelled to 470, and was recorded at 570 at Zawiya. During the assault to enter Tripoli the brigade was reported in the UK Telegraph newspaper to number just under 1,000. On 30 August the brigade had swelled to 1300 fighters in Tripoli. Its General commander also stated that it had troops waiting to join once the brigade entered Tripoli.
The majority of the brigade's volunteer fighters are from Tripoli, or nearby towns and villages, and know the city streets well, making them prime candidates for taking the city. Based in Nalut University, the brigade numbers about 1300 armed fighters. The brigade saw action throughout the 2011 Nafusa Mountains Campaign including in the towns of Nalut, Bir Ghanem and Tiji, in combat against loyalist forces.
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Wikipedia