On 30 July, the 17th Border Guard Battalion (under the command of Muhammed Abdul Nabi and linked to Zintani commander Osama Juwaili) moved troops from Ghadames towards al-Qaryah (about 390 km west of Ghadames, 130 km south of Mizdah) to block any advance by the 444 Brigade towards Ghadames. In addition, the battalion mobilized all its other forces in Ghadames and assembled at Ghadames Airport. In the evening, about 80 to 100 men of the 17th Border Guard Battalion reached al-Qaryah without a fight.
According to statements from Ghadames, the alleged trigger for the advance of the 444 Brigade was that the Russian Africa Corps wanted to take possession of the border crossing.
On 1 August, the 444 Brigade and the 111th Brigade moved troops from Ghariyan to Mizdah. The fully-mobilized 17th Border Guard Battalion took up defensive positions at the outskirts of Ghadames and at the airport about 18 km east of the city.
On 2 August, the 444 Brigade reported that two of its members had been injured the previous day during a pursuit of smugglers. The location of the incident was not disclosed.
On the evening of 2 August, there was a confrontation between the 444 Brigade and the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA)-affiliated Force 555 at the al-Qadama Gate 15 km southeast of al-Asabiah (25 km south of Ghariyan, at the junction of the eastern Ghariyan bypass).
On 5 August, Osama Juwaili deployed more troops from the Western Mountain Military Region to Ghadames.