 Many slogans he saw painted in and around Tawergha, as well as the accounts of anti-Gaddafi fighters and commanders whom he quoted, made reference to the dark pigmentation of many Tawergha citizens, with one sign referring to the Misrata Brigade as "the brigade for purging slaves [and] black skin".His report, published by "The Sunday Telegraph" on 11 September, quoted Ibrahim al-Halbous a brigade commander as saying, "Tawergha no longer exists, only Misrata" and another as asserting that the town's former residents will only return "over our dead bodies".In February 2012, Amnesty reported that Tawerga was empty and guarded against any returnees, with Misrata militiamen systematically destroying and burning down homes and
infrastructure to avoid the return of Tawergha inhabitants.