A Libyan rebel stands guard in the severely damaged Tripoli street of the besieged city of Misratah on April 26, 2011. Christophe Simon / AFP / Getty Images
Misratah produced more martyrs for the revolution than any other Libyan city. It is a point of pride for Misratah and a distinction the country's interim leaders like to highlight. The coastal city fended off months of heavy bombardment by Muammar Gaddafi's forces — and Misratah's commanders proclaim that their fighters eventually battled all the way to the gates of Gaddafi's own capital, contributing to the collapse of the regime.
Among the rubble of Misratah, that pride remains fierce — and tangible. After so many months of fighting, Misratah can now muster some 30,000 volunteer fighters and 1,200 gun trucks, as well as tanks, rocket launchers, and thousands of small arms, its commanders say. "The strongest military council in the center of Libya is Misratah," says Adel Ibrahim, an official at the city's media center. The city's fighters are playing a key role in the siege of Gaddafi's hometown of Sirt. And many in Misratah feel that the devastating bombardments wrought on their city by Gaddafi's forces has entitled them to the lion's share of power in the new Libya. "The revolution started in Benghazi. But here in Misratah, we paid the price," says Mohamed Shami, the head of one of the city's many militias. "Seventy percent of all the damage and martyrs was in Misratah. Therefore the next government should be 70% from Misratah."
(See pictures of the rebels fighting for Libya.)
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