Demoralised rebels bemoan lack of heavy arms

Demoralised Libyan rebel Badr Awad sheltered in an alley while his comrades exchanged gunfire with Muammar Gaddafi's forces in the distance.

"We fire rocket propelled grenades and AK-47s and they fire rockets and artillery. How can we defeat them?" he asked, as flies swarmed around a piece of bread and stale meat donated by civilian sympathisers hoping the ragtag rebels will end Gaddafi's 41-year rule.

As Awad spoke, a dozen rebel vehicles sped through the eastern town of Ajdabiyah, under heavy assault from better equipped Gaddafi loyalists.

"This is the worst time for us ever. It has become very difficult. We have no chance unless we get heavy weapons like Gaddafi's men," he said, echoing a constant refrain of rebels frustrated by the refusal of Western powers to arm them. 

Not long ago, the rebels said they had advanced to within 40 km (25 miles) of Gaddafi's birthplace and stronghold Sirte. 

But far more disciplined government forces have fought back, recapturing one town after another in the oil-rich east in a bid to put down an uprising which started on Feb. 17.
     The rebels now have only a tenuous hold on Ajdabiyah, gateway to the rebel capital Benghazi. Gaddafi loyalists have entered the town in pick-up trucks and government snipers have established positions.
 

REBEL CORPSES

On Sunday morning, the corpses of four rebels were found dumped on a roadside.

"Their throats were slit. They were all shot a few times in the chest as well. I just could not stop crying when I saw them," said rebel Muhammad Saad. "This is becoming tougher and tougher."

The euphoria rebels felt after they made early gains and Western powers launched strikes against Gaddafi's tanks, has faded. 

Nato airpower has been less decisive than expected with the undisciplined rebel army unable to hold ground and Gaddafi's forces becoming adept at hiding their armour near populated centres.

The insurgents now seem demoralised and often argue at checkpoints on the edges of Ajdabiyah, sometimes pulling guns on each other.

They need far more than a burning desire to see the end of autocratic leader to win.

"We have no coordination. We have no organisation. We really have no strategy. We have no commander," said Nasir Faraj, an irrigation engineer-turned fighter.

"Whenever Gaddafi starts bombarding us we just discuss what to do among ourselves and move. Some people run in one direction, and others go another way."

In contrast, Gaddafi loyalists who have penetrated Ajdabiyah show discipline and organisation. Four rebels were killed here on Saturday, including one shot between the eyes by a government sniper.

Losing Ajdabiyah would be a huge blow for the rebels and raise alarm bells in Benghazi, just a two-hour drive away. 

Rebels who once believed Western powers would make it easy for them to defeat Gaddafi are losing faith in the outside world, especially since two NATO strikes hit rebel positions by mistake.

"It is obvious that Nato is no longer our friend," said Hamad Abourie, who sold his car so he could buy an old AK-47 assault rifle to join the revolt against Gaddafi but now wonders whether he will ever see a democratic Libya.

The rebels are making the most of small victories. 

In Ajdabiyah, where the streets are deserted, a group of insurgents drove a pick-up truck to the main hospital and screamed Allahu Akbar, or God is Greatest, as they stood over the corpse of what they said was an Algerian mercenary. 

"We killed this Algerian dog. We killed him," one of the fighters yelled.

A few minutes later, two rockets fired by Gaddafi's forces landed about 100 metres away, sending everyone scurrying to the hospital emergency room for cover. 
  
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.