ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Revelations that Osama bin Laden spent years in Pakistan before he was killed there must be rattling anyone who believes al Qaeda and its allies can get their hands on the unstable country’s nuclear arsenal.

During his time at a fortified compound, did the world’s most wanted man manage to sneak supporters into Pakistan’s nuclear sites to gain the ultimate weapon for global holy war?

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Revelations that Osama bin Laden spent years in Pakistan before he was killed there must be rattling anyone who believes al Qaeda and its allies can get their hands on the unstable country’s nuclear arsenal.

During his time at a fortified compound, did the world’s most wanted man manage to sneak supporters into Pakistan’s nuclear sites to gain the ultimate weapon for global holy war?

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – It is saddled with a feckless government, dogged by poverty and corruption and now, with the revelation that the world’s most-wanted man was holed up in its backyard, Pakistan looks more like a failed state than ever.

Pressed into an alliance with the United States in its “war on terror” days after the September 11, 2001, attacks, nuclear-armed Pakistan has never been able to shake off doubts about its commitment to the battle against Islamist militancy.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – It is saddled with a feckless government, dogged by poverty and corruption and now, with the revelation that the world’s most-wanted man was holed up in its backyard, Pakistan looks more like a failed state than ever.

Pressed into an alliance with the United States in its “war on terror” days after the September 11, 2001, attacks, nuclear-armed Pakistan has never been able to shake off doubts about its commitment to the battle against Islamist militancy.

AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – Weeks of fighting against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had all but emptied the eastern flash-point town of Ajdabiyah, but some residents are trickling back as confidence strengthens in the rebel army.

The insurgents have replaced the ragtag volunteers who used to guard Ajdabiyah with officers who had defected from Gaddafi’s army, a move seen as key to defending the gateway to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – Libya’s rebel army has replaced ragtag volunteers with polished officers to guard the flash-point eastern town of Ajdabiyah, as it seeks to bolster its image as a credible adversary of Muammar Gaddafi.

The move suggests it had little confidence in the hundreds of rebels stationed in the area, men from all walks of life — from plumbers to civil engineers — who took up arms against Gaddafi after the uprising began on February 17.

AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – The Libyan army has reinforced positions around the eastern oil town of Brega and dug in its long-range missile batteries to conceal them from attacks by NATO warplanes, a rebel army officer said on Tuesday.

Rebels intent on overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi fought battles with government loyalists for weeks after an uprising erupted in February, but fighting has reached stalemate on the desert road between Brega and Ajdabiyah, 80 km (50 miles) further east.

MISRATA, Libya, April 23 (Reuters) – Rebels in Misrata
claimed victory as Libyan government troops retreated from front
lines, in what appeared to be a significant setback for Muammar
Gaddafi’s forces hastened by NATO air strikes.

Misrata, the last large city held by rebels in western
Libya, had been under a punishing government siege for nearly
two months and hundreds of civilians have died in the fighting.

MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) – Some of the African migrant workers who boarded a ferry on Saturday to flee the city of Misrata had been stranded in its port for five weeks waiting to escape.

But after finally being transported to a dock by the hundreds on dump trucks, many of the men, their blankets and meager belongings in sacks, were anxious over the future.

MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan troops captured by rebels in Misrata said on Saturday the army had been ordered to retreat from the western port, and a rebel spokesman said soldiers had booby trapped bodies and buildings as they fled.

The last large city held by rebels in western Libya, Misrata had been under a brutal government siege for nearly two months and hundreds of civilians have died in the fighting.