Nabat, situated on the planet of Ryloth, was a city inhabited by the Twi'lek species. During the Battle of Ryloth circa 21 BBY, the droid army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems gained control of the location and held the Twi'leks captive. Post-capture, the Confederacy utilized the Twi'leks as human shields to deter the Galactic Republic from directly attacking their J-1 proton cannons. Despite these efforts by the Confederacy, Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and his clone troopers from Ghost Company eventually liberated Nabat, enabling the Republic to proceed with their mission to liberate Ryloth from Confederate control.
The city of Nabat, found on the Outer Rim world of Ryloth, was built within a rocky region containing a sizable forest. Its structures were largely constructed from stone, with many reaching heights of one or two stories. Nabat also featured exterior stone walls and a sizable courtyard that contained a central circular area.
During the period of the Clone Wars, the Droid Army of the Confederacy, led by TX-20, seized and occupied Nabat. TX-20 subsequently established a battery of five J-1 proton cannons in the main square of the city.
When the Republic launched an assault, Emir Tambor gave TX-20 orders to prevent them from landing on the planet's surface. In anticipation of this, TX-20 gathered nearly all of Nabat's survivors, with the exception of Numa, and employed them as a human shield, thus preventing Republic forces from targeting their artillery. Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi alongside the clone troopers of Ghost Company attempted a landing despite the intense artillery fire, resulting in six Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunships being downed to the surface, landing in the forests outside the city and arming themselves only with blaster rifles and electromagnetic pulse grenades to minimize damage to the civilians and the city. The heavy artillery made it unsafe for Jedi General Mace Windu and his transport ships to land, leaving Ghost Company to capture Nabat on their own. Only a small number of gunships successfully navigated the artillery barrage and deployed troops.
After battling past Separatist battle droids outside the city walls, the troops entered Nabat, only to discover it was empty. General Kenobi dispatched scouts, with troopers "Boil" and "Waxer" heading to the city's southern sector, while Clone Commander CC-2224 "Cody" and "Wooley" investigated the courtyard.
Boil and Waxer came across a Twi'lek survivor, a young girl named Numa, while Cody and Wooley reported in. The rest of the troops then advanced and established a camp within the ruins of a large public building that contained rows of seating. After learning that the Twi'leks had been gathered in the center of the city, Kenobi devised a plan for an attack.