May 12 – 14, 2025 · Tripoli Theater
May 12 – 14, 2025
On May 12, 2025, Abdul Ghani al-Kikli — known universally as Ghnewa, and for years the most powerful militia leader in Tripoli — was killed during a meeting inside a facility of the 444th Combat Brigade. His Stability Support Apparatus had governed swathes of the capital and beyond as a private fief. Within hours a coalition led by the 444th launched a coordinated offensive to seize SSA headquarters across the city, including its stronghold in the densely populated Abu Salim district. Fighting spread again on the night of May 13 between the 444th and the RADA Special Deterrence Forces, another nominally state-aligned militia. A truce took hold on May 14. Human Rights Watch documented civilians trapped in the fighting; no official casualty figures were ever released.
Commanders