Quote Originally Posted by Bob's World View Post
Better to strike where the government is absent or weak; to create an appearance of rebel gains in the media that may in fact be inconsequential on the ground. The average western observer doesn't know a Benghazi from a Tripoli anyways. "Spread the court" in basketball jargon and force the government to split its forces or hunker down in defense. Time is on the rebel's side. ID critical aspects of day to day life for the government and disrupt them, while avoiding to the degree possible bringing hardship onto the general populace
In many ways, Libya doesn't have much of a "hinterland" -- 95% of the population lives along the coastal strip (parts of which itself are barely inhabited), and most of the country is desert where it is both difficult to sustain a rebel force and where no one much cares if they do. Three quarters of the population live in urban areas.

Inevitably, 90% of the fighting in this civil war is likely to occur within 10km of the coast.

It is important that places like Misurata don't completely fall--at the moment they both block government LoC and force Qaddafi to divide his forces.