The allied air bombardment of Libya appears to have done much to blunt the eastern advance of Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.

With the regimes air defences all but destroyed, the rebels have pushed out to the outskirts of Ajdabiyah, about 150 kilometres south of their stronghold in Benghazi.

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For the moment, the regime still controls the key strategic outpost and it remains unclear if the opposition has the leadership, soldiering experience and wherewithal to topple the regime.

What is more clear is the human cost of this conflict. It continues to mount. Doctors in Benghazi say many civilian victims have been deliberately targeted, insisting those arriving from Ajdabiyah have been shot by Gaddafi snipers.