[11] Gaddafi had launched a brutal 3-month siege on Misrata,[12] with reports emerging of indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure,[13] extrajudicial killings,[14] and the targeting of medical institutions and vehicles.

[15] As the conflict escalated, local residents, activists, and defected military personnel in Misrata formed armed groups to defend their city against government forces.

The Misrata brigades emerged as a collective of these armed factions, sharing a common goal of ousting the Gaddafi regime and supporting the broader revolutionary movement.

The Misratan Brigades involvement began on February 24 when Gaddafi loyalists, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, attacked opposition fighters guarding the airport.

[18] Notably, on April 23, loyalists troops army began withdrawing from Misrata, and rebels seized strategic locations, including a vital overpass bridge.

[30][31] In the siege of Bani Walid, clashes erupted on October 2 between pro-government militias from Misrata and local militiamen when thousands of fighters surrounded the city.

[34] By October 8, thousands of soldiers surrounded Bani Walid, demanding the surrender of those responsible for torturing Omran Shaban to death, threatening to storm the town if the deadline wasn't met.

[43] As part of the GNA's Operation Volcano of Anger in April 2019, the Misrata Brigade actively engaged in the Western Libya campaign, mobilizing on the Tripoli frontlines to counter the LNA's attempt, led by General Khalifa Haftar, to capture the capital.

[45] In subsequent events, on January 28, 2020, a LNA Wing Loong II combat drone was shot down near Misrata, marking active defense measures against Haftar's forces.

Alarmed by the perceived foreign interference and dismissing the GNU's actions as traitorous, the council, led by Salah Badi, had threatened to intervene "by force" to remove those in power.

[66] An announcement was made, with PC deputy chairman Ahmed Maiteeqmaking specific mentions of Bunyan Marsous, the operation that Misratan Militias launched against ISIL.