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Daniel Stone / http://www.thedailybeast.com / Jul 18, 2011 4:50 PM EDT.
As the Libyan rebels continue to drive toward Tripoli, U.S. intelligence officials say that the embattled Muammar Gaddafi is showing new signs of strain and desperation.
Muammar Gaddafi and his forces have lost several recent battles in the Libyan civil war. Now it appears his grip is loosening even faster.
As a NATO coalition continues to provide military and humanitarian aid to Libyan rebels, top commanders are seeing new signs that the embattled leader is quickly running out of fuel and money, according to three U.S. intelligence officials.
Gaddafi’s hold on power since the war began has been in limbo, with fighting resulting in an extended stalemate. But stockpiles of oil that Gaddafi has used to fund and power his army of loyalists have dropped dramatically over the past month, leaving NATO leaders to believe his hand is increasingly weakening.
In late June, Libyan rebels cut off one of Gaddafi’s largest and most lucrative oil pipelines that runs from the Awbari oilfield to the Azzawiya refinery. Since then, Gaddafi’s oil reserves have fallen between a third and a half, say officials. The regime’s remaining reserves in the smaller oil town of Brega, which rebels have repeatedly tried to take, have not been able to compensate the loss.
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