Rebel Yell - Newsweek

But could the rebels mount an assault on Gaddafi's doorstep? The answer depends on whether such a motley crew can be rapidly pulled together into a competent fighting force. Consider the cigarette-smoke-filled scene last week at an Army base in central Benghazi, the de facto opposition capital. There was Khaled Suweiri, 43, a pudgy ex-special-forces captain decked out in a blue Adidas jacket and a baseball cap. There was Mahmoud Abdul Wahab, a 23-year-old nursing student dressed in muddy jeans, bouncing off the walls with excitement. And there was Mohammed Faraj Ali, 35, who had broken out of jail just three weeks earlier. Ali was the only one in the room wearing a full military uniform, complete with a red beret.