Libyan conflict remains stalemated after nearly four months

The conflict in Libya is nearly four months along, but the situation on the ground appears mostly stalemated. NATO airstrikes have kept the outgunned rebels from being overrun, but the rebels have been unable to mount an effective offensive against Gadhafi's better equipped armed forces.
Gadhafi's regime has been slowly crumbling from within. A significant number of army officers and several Cabinet ministers have defected, and most have expressed support for the opposition, but Gadhafi's hold on power shows little sign of loosening. (36 images)

Rebel fighters fire their machine guns towards Moammar Gadhafi forces in the front line, 25 km west from Misrata, Libya, Monday, May 23, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd 

 

A rebel fighter points his gun as other comrades cross the front line between them and Moammar Gadhafi forces, 25 km west from Misrata, Libya, Thursday, May 26, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighters celebrate in front line between them and Moammar Gadhafi forces, 25 km west from Misrata, Libya, Thursday, May 26, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighters drink coffee and eat bread after fighting against Moammar Gadhafi forces in the front line, 25 km west from Misrata, Libya, Thursday, May 26, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighters pull security in the south front line between them and Moammar Gadhafi forces, 30 km south from Misrata, Libya, Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A rebel fighter rests on a machine gun mounted on a pick up on the front line between them and Moammar Gadhafi forces, 30 km south from Misrata, Libya, Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A Libyan rebel fighter fires a rocket propelled grenade launcher on the front line, west of Misrata, in Libya Saturday, May 28, 2011. AP / Wissam Saleh

A Libyan rebel fighter fires a machine gun on the front line, west of Misrata, in Libya Saturday, May 28, 2011. AP / Wissam Saleh

Warning, the following photo may be offensive to some viewers. Click to view.

A dead rebel fighter lies in a pick up at the front line near Moammar Gadhafi forces, 25 km west from Misrata, Libya, Thursday, May 26, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A man walks next to tombs of people killed in fighting against Moammar Gadhafi forces in Misrata, Libya, Thursday, May 26, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Warning, the following photo may be offensive to some viewers. Click to view.

An uncle, left, prays over the body of one and a half year-old Mohsen Ali al-Sheikh, who was killed by a gunshot during clashes between rebels and pro-Gadhafi forces earlier in the day, during a washing ritual as part of the funeral at his family's house in Misrata, Libya Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Wissam Saleh

A barricade is seen on Tripoli street on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, from the terrace of a building used by snipers loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, during fighting with rebels in downtown Misrata, Libya. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Women march after participating in a cultural event organized by the rebels in Tripoli Street, the former center of fighting between the rebels and Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Misrata, Libya, Sunday, May 22, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Boys play on a destroyed tank inside a vegetable market in Tripoli Street, the former center of fighting between the rebels and Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Misrata, Libya, Sunday, May 22, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A man exercises during a rebel military training session in Misrata, Libya, Tuesday, May 24, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Young men slide down a rope during a military training exercise in Misrata, Libya, Tuesday, May 24, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A Libyan volunteer jumps over his comrades during a military training course before going to the frontline in the rebel strong hold of Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, June 2, 2011. According to rebel authorities, after three weeks of intense military training, the volunteers are ready to fight against forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Libyan volunteers crawl on their stomachs during a military training course before going to the front line in the rebel strong hold of Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, June 2, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Libyan volunteers swim in the Mediterranean sea during a military training course before going to the frontline in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, June 2, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighters act as security in downtown Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, May 19, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel soldiers secure the area after an explosion at the Tibesty hotel in Benghazi, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. A car bomb exploded Wednesday next to the hotel, where foreign diplomats stay in Benghazi, a rare attack in the Libyan rebels' de facto capital. A rebel spokesman said the blast caused no injuries or deaths. The burning car sent plumes of black smoke into the air. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A rebel soldier secures the area after an explosion at the Tibesty hotel in Benghazi, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. AP / Alaguri

A young boy holds a weapon given to him by a rebel fighter as he poses for a portrait after Friday prayers in Benghazi, Libya, June 3, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Street vendors who hire out sun parasols near the beach wait for customers in Benghazi, Libya, June 3, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A rebel fighter on security duty and carrying a pre-Moammar Gadhafi flag downtown in Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, May 19, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A boy stands in front of women praying during Friday prayers in Benghazi, Libya, June 3, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Boys look at a reel of film as light streams through a window in the double-domed cathedral in Benghazi, Libya, Tuesday, May 31, 2011. The cathedral is a neoclassical treasure designed by Italian architects and built between 1929 and 1939. It fell into disuse when Italians left the country the year after Gadhafi seized power in a coup in 1969 and briefly was the headquarters of the Arab Socialist Union before it fell into disuse. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A boy rides a bicycle holding a pre Moammar Gadhafi flag in the seaside boulevard in Benghazi, Libya, Thursday, June 2, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighter Safi Ali, 25, warms up next to a fire at a checkpoint in Ajdabiya, Libya, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighter Reda Atya, 20, cleans his weapon at the last checkpoint which allows the presence of reporters before the front line with Moammar Gadhafi troops in Ajdabiya, Libya, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Rebel fighters relax in a makeshift base next to a checkpoint in Ajdabiya, Libya, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

A rebel fighter reads the Quran next to a check point in Ajdabiya, Libya, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. AP / Rodrigo Abd

Young Libyan women walk in downtown Tripoli, Libya, on Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Ivan Sekretarev

A street vendor sells kebabs in central Tripoli, Libya, on Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Ivan Sekretarev

In this photo taken on a government organized tour, a Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's supporters react following an airstrike in Tripoli, Libya, on Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Ivan Sekretarev

In this photo taken on a government organized tour, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's supporters react following an airstrike in Tripoli, Libya, on Friday, May 27, 2011. AP / Ivan Sekretarev