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Two rebels who managed to escape by boat to the opposition stronghold of Benghazi said women and children and the elderly were being killed by tank fire in Misurata. The city — the opposition's last western enclave — was bombarded again by government troops.

In a move authorized by President Obama, the CIA has sent a covert team into rebel-held eastern Libya to gather intelligence to help direct NATO airstrikes and to help train inexperienced rebel fighters.

Militarily, rebel fighters in eastern Libya are now effectively back to where they were when Western airstrikes began 12 days ago. Amid the retreat, tense and tired fighters seem unsure of what will come next. One even accused commanders of deceiving them.

The U.S. administration has imposed limits on its own actions in Libya, ruling out the use of ground troops or explicitly targeting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Some say that leaves a disconnect between the president's rhetoric and military moves.

Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement that Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, one of the most senior members of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime, arrived at Farnborough Airport on Wednesday from Tunisia. The development came the same day Britain joined the U.S. and France in saying it is willing to consider arming Libyan rebels.

African journalist Peter Godwin returned to his native Zimbabwe in 2008 to follow the presidential election. He writes about President Robert Mugabe's refusal to give up power — and Mugabe's torture campaign against opposition supporters — in The Fear.

The gains came as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that the international operation in Libya could last months. Meanwhile, NATO said the alliance had decided to take over the entire military operation.

Libyan rebels have regained control of the eastern gateway city of Ajdabiya after international air strikes on Moammar Gadhafi's forces. Host Scott Simon gets the latest from NPR's Eric Westervelt.

Ajdabiya's sudden fall to Moammar Gadhafi's troops earlier this month spurred the swift U.N. resolution authorizing international action in Libya. Its return to rebel hands Saturday marked the first major turnaround for an uprising that once appeared on the verge of defeat.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior military official told NPR that despite withering coalition airstrikes, Moammar Gadhafi's forces still have the advantage and continue to threaten civilians.