Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi explode after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20.
After weeks of debate, the United Nations finally approved a no-fly zone in Libya, helping rebels fighting Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy at perhaps the last possible moment. Rebels had been driven back by the Libyan army to their last stronghold, the eastern city of Benghazi, and appeared ready to be overrun there as well. Two nights of bombardment by coalition forces have sent the army into retreat, and a missile struck Khadafy's compound in Tripoli, but the final outcome of the conflict is far from clear. Collected here are images from the last few days of fighting. For an earlier Big Picture post on the conflict, see the links below.
Libyan rebels carry an injured comrade following a failed attempt to take the town of Ajdabiya from Moammar Khadafy's forces on March 21 as news reports said Libyan government forces pulled back 60 miles from rebel-held Benghazi after Western-led air strikes destroyed much of their armor.
A Libyan jet bomber crashes after being shot down in Benghazi on March 19 as Libya's rebel stronghold came under attack, with at least two air strikes and sustained shelling of the city's south sending thick smoke into the sky.
A rebel fighter supporter shoots into the air as she reacts to the news of the withdrawal of Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy's forces from Benghazi March 19. (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters) #
Rebel fighters ride on a tank captured from Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy's forces in Benghazi March 19.
A man fires his pistol in the air during a celebratory rally after the United Nations approved a no-fly zone over the country on March 18 in Tobruk, Libya. Libya declared an immediate cease-fire after the UN vote but reports indicated that Moammar Khadafy's forces were still shelling two cities.
A rebel fighter shows hand grenades found on fighters loyal to Moammar Khadafy after they were killed by rebel fighters in Benghazi March 19. Khadafy's forces pushed into the rebel-held city of Benghazi on Saturday, defying world demands for an immediate ceasefire.
A tank belonging to forces loyal to Moammar Khadafy explodes after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20.
A man stands in front of a burning vehicle belonging to forces loyal to Moammar Khadafy after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20.
A Libyan rebel holds the rebellion flag as he steps over wrecked military vehicles belonging to Moammar Khadafy forces hit by French warplanes on March 20. Dozens of Khadafy military vehicles were destroyed in morning air strikes by the coalition west of Benghazi, as a semblance of normality returned with cars out on the road and street markets reopened in the rebel bastion.
A rebel fighter shouts in front of a burning vehicle belonging to forces loyal to Moammar Khadafy after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20.
An elderly rebel fighter gestures in front of a destroyed tank belonging to forces loyal to Moammar Khadafy after an air strike by coalition forces in Benghazi March 20.
A man looks at a destroyed tank belonging to forces loyal to Moammar Khadafy after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20.
Curious Libyan onlookers take pictures of dead African teenagers, members of Moammar Khadafy's forces hit by airstrikes by French warplanes in al-Wayfiyah west of Benghazi, on March 20 in al-Wayfiyah.
Rebel fighters point their weapons at a vehicle at a checkpoint during a gun battle in downtown Benghazi on March 20. Sporadic explosions and heavy gunfire broke out in central Benghazi at around 10 p.m. and lasted about 40 minutes, a Reuters witness reported from the city.
Libyan rebels retreat with their injured under heavy fire following a failed attempt to take the town of Ajdabiya from Moammar Khadafy's forces on March 21.
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