Tribal and Military Alliances in the Battle of Al-Qardabiya: A stud in the Unity of command and the Battlefield.

Abstract

This study seeks to elucidate the role of tribal and military alliances in the Battle of Al-Qardabiya (1915) and demonstrate their pivotal impact on unifying both leadership and the battlefield to achieve military victory. It also sheds light on the most prominent national Leaders and their strategic role in directing the Jihad movement against the Italian occupation. Furthermore, it highlights how these leaders successfully transcended traditional and regional divisions—which the colonizer sought to exploit to fracture the resistance ranks—resulting in a comprehensive national cohesion in the heart of the battlefield. This solidarity thwarted Italian plans to control the entirety of Libyan territory, ultimately forcing the occupation forces to retreat and confine themselves within limited coastal garrison.