Battle for Libya: timeline - Telegraph February 25: Rebel forces are in control in the majority of key cities, including Misurata, Ajdabaja, Sirte, Tobruk and Zawiya. Gaddafi appears in Tripoli's Green Square to urge supporters to "fight those who are against us." March 4: Six members of the SAS dropped into the Libyan desert by helicopter as part of a "diplomatic mission" to befriend the rebels are arrested by them as they arrive in Benghazi. March 17: The UN Security Council authorises a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to enforce it to protect civilians. Within days, British Tornadoes are engaged in ground attacks and Tomahawk missiles are fired from British submarines. March 22: Pro-government troops retake Ajdabiya, Zawiyah, Ras Lanuf and parts of Brega, and lay siege to Misurata, blocking the arrival of medicine and food at the port to around 5,000 people. In the following weeks, control of key cities swings back and forward. March 30: Moussa Koussa, the Libyan Foreign Minister, arrives in Britain and says he is defecting from Gaddafi's regime. Libya diplomats are expelled from London. April 30: Gaddafi's youngest son Saif al-Arab is killed by a Nato airstrike, along with three grandchildren. The following day, the British and Italian Embassies in Tripoli are attacked. June 27: The International Criminal Court in The Hague issues a warrant for the arrest of Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and his head of intelligence. July 28: General Abdel Fatah Younus, senior rebel forces commander, is arrested by members of the NTC questioning his loyalty. His body is found the following day. The death prompts fears of a split in the rebel camp. August 19: Rebel forces claim to have taken back Zawiyah. They begin an advance on Tripoli amid Egyptian reports that Gaddafi may already have fled. August 20: Fighting erupts in Tripoli as rebels close in on last stronghold of Gaddafi regime. August 21: Rebel forces seize Green Square, Tripoli, and detain Gaddafi's sons Saif and Mohammed. August 22: Heavy fighting continues around Tripoli, with a tank seen leaving Gaddafi's compound. There are celebrations as up to 15,000 people rounded up by security forces as suspected members of the opposition are released. August 23 Rebels seize Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound. The following days are marked by pictures of rebel fighters celebrating in the compound, and a series of revalations about Gaddafi's opulant home life. August 27 A convoy of Mercedes-Benz cars are seen crossing the border into Algeria. The Algerian government later confirms that the cars contained a number of Gaddafi regime figures, but Gaddafi himself was not among them. The group is believed to still be in Algeria. The new Libyan government has not to date requested their return. February 21 Scores killed in clashes between Arab Zawi and African Tebu groups in Al-Kufra in the remote south-east. May 9 Gunmen burst into government headquarters in Tripoli during a protest against the suspensions of bounty payments to groups that had fought against the Gaddafi government. June 4 Government struggles to control local militias, especially in Zintan in the West. The Al-Awfea Brigade briefly takes over Tripoli International Airport. September 11 US ambassador and three other Americans are killed when armed men storm the consulate in Benghazi. October 15 The National Congress elects Ali Zidan, a liberal and leading opposition envoy during the civil war May 10 The British Foreign Office withdraws some embassy staff in response to concerns over the security situation. October 5 US special forces seize Anas al-Liby, a Libyan suspect in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in Tripoli and remove him abroad. Libya demands an explanation. October 10 Ali Zeidan seized by armed men from a hotel in Tripoli in what appears to be retaliation for the capture by American forces of a wanted al-Qaeda-linked operative