[20] On 1 March, loyalist forces started offensive operations south of Tripoli with the aim of retaking territory lost in previous days to the rebels.

Gharyan was seen as a strategic town, because it was the largest in the Nafusa Mountains, a direct gateway to the Jabal al Gharbi District from Tripoli and was part of the defence ring loyalist forces were establishing around the capital.

[25] Young people in Zintan took the fight to pro-Gaddafi forces, launching a series of "preventative attacks" on army barracks, checkpoints and other installations to gather weapons and equipment.

[40] On 5 April, Al Jazeera English reported that the rebels in Nalut and Zintan infiltrated Yafran and helped their allies there to fight against government forces.

[41] On 8 April, Al Jazeera English reported that NATO airstrikes struck weapons depots belonging to pro-Gaddafi forces located 15 kilometers southeast of Zintan.

[42] On 9 April, refugees from al-Galaa told Reuters that Gaddafi's forces have been burning water wells with petroleum and killing sheep, and promised to "rape all girls".

[44] On 14 April, Al Jazeera English reported that rebels had repelled loyalist forces in the al-Haraba district, west of Rihaibat, after some minor clashes.

[60][61] The Daily Telegraph reported that RAF warplanes under NATO command attacked loyalist vehicles in the region, striking a tank near Mizda and destroying a self-propelled gun near Yafran.

[69] The next morning, loyalist troops advanced from the crossing post of Wazzin in pursuit of the rebels, who had retreated onto Tunisian soil after a night of fighting, over the border and engaged them in the center of the town of Dehiba.

[71] However, after nightfall, Gaddafi's forces resumed their bombardment of the crossing in an apparent attempt to return and the government said it had regained control over the Libyan side of the border.

[73] On 1 May, a caller on Al Jazeera said that the city of Zintan came under attack from Grad missiles the previous day, and pro-Gaddafi forces attempted to enter the town.

In addition, rebels had apparently retaken the border crossing at Wazzin, while they claimed that NATO air-strikes destroyed 10–12 loyalist vehicles east of Zintan.

[75] On 3 May, forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi bombarded the rebel-held town of Zintan in the Western Mountains with over 40 Grad rockets late on Tuesday, a rebel spokesman said.

A Libyan ambulance driver from Zintan who crossed into Tunisia on Tuesday told Reuters the town had come under intense shelling by pro-Gaddafi forces.

[80] On 18 May, rebels in the Nafusa Mountains issued a call for help to the National Transitional Council in the hopes of alleviating the constant loyalist siege on their towns.

[81] The same day, Al Jazeera English, citing rebel fighters from in and near Yafran, reported that the town had been cut off from food and medical supplies as a result of loyalist attacks with rockets and Grad missiles.

Although, the western half of Rayayan was reported to had stayed loyalist, partially due to the fact that former Gaddafi intelligence head Nasar al-Mabout lives there.

[83] Later, it was confirmed that, during the two days of heavy fighting, loyalist forces had managed to advance through the village of Al Rayayan and break through two rebel defence lines outside Zintan, despite NATO bombing runs on government troops and ammunition depots in the area.

Military campaigning from the rebel forces on 22 and 23 May, to take definite control on the mountain towns of Tamzin and Ar-Rayyan (Al Rayayna) met with mixed success.

[106] Meanwhile, Reuters correspondents in Gharyan reported that the city, occupied by loyalist forces since the beginning of March, was experiencing some unrest as rebels pushed closer to it.

[118][119][120] The capture was confirmed by an Al Jazeera report (with video) which also noted that the weapons included two Russian tanks and that these ammunition gains would provide an "enormous morale booster" and greatly increase "momentum...that the rebel forces have been building up for quite a while".

[123] Also, it was revealed that one of the two rebels killed did not die in battle but when he was attempting to forcefully open one of the boxes, like many others, who ripped apart ammunition cases with crowbars or gun butts.

[126] During fighting between 30 June and 3 July, the rebels attempted to advance from Kikla toward the town of al-Qawalish (which holds a western and an eastern part, separated by a canyon).

[131] After the fall of al-Qawalish, the town was looted and burned by rebel forces over a period of two days, due to animosity between the Berber and the smaller Mashaashia tribe which takes residence in the village.

[148][149] Eight hours since the start of the offensive, after heavy fighting and a bombardment by rebel artillery, the opposition claimed that loyalist troops pulled out of the town of Ghazaya.

[157] Up to this point, the rebels had succeeded in capturing the villages of Hawamid, Takut, and Ghazaya in their drive to clear pro-Gaddafi forces from the mountain region's surroundings.

The rebels used loud-hailers to appeal to a tribal chief close to Colonel Gaddafi, to evacuate civilians from Tiji and broker the withdrawal or surrender of loyalist forces.

[166] On 6 August, rebels launched another attack on Bir al-Ghanam with hundreds of fighters, hoping to take the small town and thus opening their way towards Zawiya and other coastal cities.

[168][169] According to the AFP, rebels were able to advance within 20 km of the city of Sorman before encountering heavy resistance from loyalist forces and traded tank fire with them on the road to the coast.

[179] On 13 August, opposition forces managed to enter the strategic town of Gharyan and capture the city center after a four-hour battle which resulted in loyalist troops retreating.