BBC:
Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is said to be arming volunteers to fight the uprising against his rule, a senior US military official has said.
Vice Admiral William Gortney said Col Gaddafi had "virtually no air defence" and a "diminishing ability to command and sustain his forces on the ground".
Coalition forces launched strikes against Libyan tanks around the eastern town of Ajdabiya, he said.
Rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces are in a stand-off near the town, witnesses say.
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Briefing reporters on Friday, Vice Adm Gortney said Col Gaddafi's forces had been severely weakened by international military action.
"His air force cannot fly, his warships are staying in port, his ammunitions stores are being destroyed, communications towers are being toppled, his command bunkers rendered useless," he said.
"We've received reports today that he has taken to arming what he calls volunteers to fight the opposition," he added.
"I'm not sure... if they are truly volunteers or not, and I don't know how many of these recruits he's going to get, but I find it interesting that he may now feel it necessary to seek civilian reinforcements."
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The arming of civilians suggest he is sustaining casualties for which he has no trained replacements. The civilians in Libya were not trusted with guns in the past and their may be good reason for them to turn them on Qaddafi. It could also be that he wants to use them to demonstrate civilian casualties from the fight.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
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