Troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi shelled rebels heading west on the coastal road to Sirte on Tuesday, forcing them to pull back to the small town of Bin Jawad.

The retreat reversed a rapid, two-day advanced that saw the pro-democracy fighers push from Ajdabiya to Nawfaliya, where they met strong resistance.

The mostly young, untrained fighters have not been able to adapt to combat and do not take standard military precautions to defend themselves, Bays reports.