On 31 October, Abdussalam al-Zubi, the head of the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) newly formed Joint Operations Room for the Defence of the Western and Southwestern Regions, ordered units to establish checkpoints from Ghariyan to the Qarayyat region further south. Qarayyat is about 100km northwest of al-Shuwayrif, where Libyan National Army (LNA) forces are stationed.
Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba formed the new Joint Operations Room on 29 October and it was deployed to Ghariyan to quash clashes which had broken out in the town following the return of exiled commander Adel Daab who had supported the LNA in 2019. The precise circumstances and motivation for his return remain unclear. Daab was reportedly driven out of Ghariyan and the GNU forces secured the town, then pushed a further 150km south.