Libya: A revolution in retreat, the first time since Ajdabiya fell

After the heady days of advance, the end was sudden. A line of 50 rebel vehicles had reached the outskirts of an-Nawayah, a small town just 100 miles from the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte, when his troops launched their ambush.

The rebels were in cars and pick-ups on the main road when Gaddafi's men, hidden in the scrubland, attacked. The effect was immediate. As gunfire rattled against the vehicles' sides, the revolutionary fighters hastily turned and fled.

For the first time since Ajdabiya fell on Saturday, the revolution was in retreat. The front line has now turned into a confused tapestry of skirmishes, advances of a few miles by each side followed by quick withdrawals.

An-Nawayah was captured by the rebels yesterday afternoon before falling again to Gaddafi soldiers shortly before dusk. Today the situation is the same: the rebels once again advancing on an-Nawayah against pockets of regime soldiers.

The rapid advances of the previous few days - when towns fell to the revolution like ninepins - is already a memory as the focus turns to the far tougher business of taking and then holding ground.

To the east of the frontline is a stretch of central Libya running all the way to Ajdabiya that contains a scattering of desert towns hugging the coast. They have now been fought over three times: once as the rebels first pushed forward and then again as Gaddafi's men first advanced and then retreated.

In these towns the situation is extremely grim. They often have no electricity. Many are without water. Most shops are closed; in the open ones shelves are bare. Petrol is rapidly running out. Most importantly, there are no civic services and the police have gone. Many houses are empty, their owners having fled. In their place have come looters, systematically stripping buildings.

In Ras Lanuf, the gangs started taking everything included the light switches from the semi-abandoned hotel we were staying in. Some carrying knives extorted money from other journalists. When one looter carrying out the hotel satellite dish was asked what he was doing, he answered: "Gaddafi gave us nothing," he said. "Now we can take it for ourselves."