BIN JAWAD, Libya (Reuters) – Libya rebels have enjoyed remarkable success in the past few days of their war against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, but they face sterner tasks ahead which will show if they have reached their limits.

Allied air strikes have been the crucial factor in their advance through more than 300 km (190 miles) of desert, bringing them to within 80 km (50 miles) of the Gaddafi loyalist stronghold of Sirte.

NAWFALIYAH/MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) – Rebels advanced west toward the birthplace of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday, firing mortars and heavy machineguns in sporadic clashes with loyalist forces.

Emboldened by Western-led air strikes against Gaddafi’s troops, rebels took the town of Nawfaliyah and moved toward Sirte, Gaddafi’s home town and an important military base, in the sixth week of an uprising against his 41-year rule.

NAWFALIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels fired mortars and rounds from heavy machineguns in sporadic clashes with Muammar Gaddafi’s forces as they advanced westwards along the coast on Monday.

Aided by Western-led air strikes against Gaddafi’s loyalists, the rebels took the town of Nasiriyah and moved toward the Libyan leader’s hometown of Sirte.

RAS LANUF, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels advancing towards Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte scooped petrol with bottles tied on strings from depleted gas stations on Monday as a push west stretched their supply lines.

Aided by Western-led air strikes against Gaddafi’s forces, rebels driving pick-ups mounted with machine guns have dashed almost unchallenged westwards, reversing earlier losses in a five-week insurgency.

RAS LANUF, Libya (Reuters) – A steady stream of rebels in pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns drove towards Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte on Monday, seeking to extend their advance west.

A spokesman in Benghazi said rebels based in east Libya had captured Sirte on Monday, but a Reuters correspondent in the city said there was no sign that rebel forces were in control.

BIN JAWAD, Libya (Reuters) – Libya’s ramshackle rebel army has pushed west to retake a series of towns from the forces of Muammar Gaddafi who are being pounded by Western air strikes.

Emboldened by the help of the air strikes, the rebels have rapidly reversed military losses in their five-week insurgency and regained control of all the main oil terminals in eastern Libya, as far as the town of Bin Jawad.

BIN JAWAD, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels pushed further west on Sunday to retake more territory abandoned by Muammar Gaddafi’s retreating forces, which have been weakened by Western air strikes.

Emboldened by the capture of the strategic town of Ajdabiyah with the help of foreign warplanes on Saturday, the rebels have regained the initiative and are back in control of all the main oil terminals in the eastern half of the North African country.

BIN JAWAD, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels took back control on Sunday of the town of Bin Jawad, 525 km (330 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, and said they would push on soon toward Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold of Sirte.

The rebels have dashed west unchallenged after routing Gaddafi’s forces at the strategic town of Ajdabiyah early on Saturday with the help of Western air strikes.

AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels backed by allied air strikes have recaptured the strategic town of Ajdabiyah, signaling that the tide may be turning against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in the east.

In the west, France said its warplanes destroyed five Libyan aircraft and two helicopters at an air base outside rebel-held Misrata on Saturday. Pro-Gaddafi forces had earlier pounded the city with tank, mortar and artillery fire that halted only as coalition aircraft appeared overhead, rebels said.

AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels danced on wrecked government tanks and handed out bread and water to residents on Saturday after retaking Ajdabiyah, a gateway to the east that has been left a ghost town by days of fighting.

Decomposing bodies of more than a dozen fighters loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and ruins of artillery at entrances to the town showed that fighting had been fierce.