In February 2011, inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Libyans rose up against Muammar Gaddafi who had ruled the country for over 40 years. The rebels were ordinary civilians with little or no military training. They only had a few weapons, but they were unified in a common cause. That solidarity would disintegrate in time, but in the first few months of the war, Libyans from across the country fought together to rid themselves of Gaddafi’s hated dictatorship.
