NALUT, Libya (Reuters) – Adam, from Washington, D.C., was studying to become a family therapist. Then he felt a greater calling: fighting for freedom in Libya.

So he traded his university sociology and psychology books for a semi-automatic weapon bought with his own money in Libya and joined a group of rebels who believe they have the best chance of reaching Tripoli and toppling Muammar Gaddafi.

BIR AL-GHANAM, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels who seized this town 80 km south of Tripoli said on Monday they would now push on towards Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold in the capital but expected a tough fight.

This small settlement in the desert is now the closest rebel position to Tripoli and its capture at the weekend is likely to inject some new momentum into a six-month campaign to oust Gaddafi which has been faltering over the past few weeks.

BIR AL-GHANAM, Libya, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels who captured the strategic town of Bir al-Ghanam, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli, were basking in glory on Monday when one saw a few vehicles approaching from the corner of his eye.

“They are coming,” said the fighter as he and others ran to sand dunes and fired weapons at approaching Libyan army vehicles, forcing them to turn away.

BIR AL-GHANAM, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels who seized this town 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli said on Monday they would now push on toward Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold in the capital.

This small settlement in the desert is the closest rebel position to Tripoli and its capture at the weekend is likely to give new hope to a faltering six-month campaign to oust Gaddafi.

BIR AL-GHANAM, Libya, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels who
seized this town 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli said on
Monday they would now push on towards Muammar Gaddafi’s
stronghold in the capital.

This small settlement in the desert is the closest rebel
position to Tripoli and its capture at the weekend is likely to
give new hope to a faltering six-month campaign to oust Gaddafi.

NALUT, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels said Sunday they were firmly in control of the town of Bir al-Ghanam, a staging post about 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli, rejecting a government assertion they had been pushed back.

A small settlement in the desert, Bir al-Ghanam is also the closest point the rebels have come to Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold in the capital, lending it a strategic role in the rebels’ six-month campaign to end Gaddafi’s rule.

BIR AL-GHANAM, Libya, Aug 5 (Reuters) – When Libyan rebels
pushed government forces out of a cement plant on the edge of
Bir al-Ghanam last month and set up a position about 80 km (50
miles) from Tripoli, victory seemed within reach.

But the men — who hold the rebel position in the Western
Mountains closest to the Libyan capital – are finding it hard to
advance just a few hundred metres, let alone reach Muammar
Gaddafi’s main stronghold.

NEAR TIJI, Libya (Reuters) – The rebel seethed as a bulldozer arrived to build a sand bank to protect rebels in Libya’s Western Mountain region from nearby government forces.

“It’s too late. Our leaders are trying to show they care about us but it’s too late,” said the fighter, Munir Marah, standing beside what was left of a Grad missile that killed three of his comrades early Wednesday.

KABAW, Libya, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels surrounding
Muammar Gaddafi’s last major stronghold in the Western Mountains
region are hungry for the kill. There’s just one problem — not
enough ammunition.

After weeks of planning, the rebels launched a new offensive
in the region, capturing several towns and villages. But the
biggest prize, Tiji, remains elusive for a simple reason
fighters like Jumaa Muhammad are all too familiar with.

NEAR TIJI, Libya (Reuters) – As Libyan rebels braced for more desert fighting in the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, one of them explained battlefield dangers – in a thick Dublin accent.

“They have ammunition to burn while we are running out of ammunition,” said Irishman Husam Najjair, who, after a decade abroad, is taking part in a new offensive against government forces in the plains below Libya’s Western Mountains.