Libyan rebel minister: Our army consists of maybe 1,000 trained men

After the uprising, the rebels stumbled as they tried to organize. They did a poor job of defining themselves when Libyans and the outside world tried to figure out what they stood for. And now, as they try to defeat Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s armed forces and militias, they will have to rely on allied airstrikes and young men with guns because the army that rebel military leaders bragged about consists of only about 1,000 trained men…

Mr. Tarhouni said he was hopeful that the rebels would be able to retake Ajdabiya soon, and face less resistance from government troops as they progressed toward Surt, a Qaddafi stronghold. “If Ajdabiya is liberated, I think the dynamics will change,” he said.