BENGHAZI, Libya – The hundreds of men who come daily to this town’s seized army base for lessons in shooting rifles, loading rocket launchers and firing artillery shells agree on at least two things: Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi must go and arms are the only way to get him out

Beyond that, their visions of Libya should Gadhafi’s 42-year reign end differ widely. Some want democracy. Others want a share of Libya’s oil wealth. Still others, albeit a minority, see Libya’s liberation as the first step toward establishing a regional Islamic state. That’s bound to scare the international coalition bombing Gadhafi’s forces.

Additional Photos

Training sessions for hundreds of young men who want to overthrow Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi often include young boys. The rebels come daily to Benghazi's seized army base for lessons in shooting rifles, loading rocket launchers and firing artillery shells. They express different visions for Libya's future. The Associated Press

The United States has already reached out to the opposition’s political leadership. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with members of the Interim National Council on Tuesday in London.

The interim council – largely stocked with foreign-educated, Westernized Libyans – insists it seeks a liberal democracy based on a constitution and with regular elections.

But interviews with over a dozen men receiving weapons training at a former Benghazi military camp provide a window into the diverse motivations pulling rebel ground troops into battle.

A few hundred show up daily at this base on the city’s western edge, which rebels seized at the start of the uprising in mid-February and promptly renamed “The Martyrs’ Brigade.”

Training is run by a group of retired army officers, most in their 50s, who seek to provide bakers, bureaucrats, university students and taxi drivers with basic weapons know-how.

On a recent day, a toothless soldier showed one group how to aim a Kalashnikov, while another helped a father-son team assemble the barrel of an anti-aircraft gun.

All detailed reasons to hate Gadhafi’s regime.

Ashraf Mohammed, a government bureaucrat, said he’d seen too many people abused by Gadhafi’s rule. His brother was detained for seven months for being seen with the wrong people, he said. A neighbor spent seven years in prison, and a colleague did 17 before being released with no explanation, he said.

“All the accusations were political,” said Mohammed, 31. “Any accusation that you are against the regime and it’s over.”

“The goal is democracy, a constitution and transfer of power,” he said. “Not just one ruling family.”

University student Abdel-Salam Rigayi, 23, took advantage of a vacation – imposed by the fighting – to pursue a different dream.

“We want a society based on the Quran,” he said, speaking in the formal Arabic tones of a mosque preacher.

“Freedom of religion, we don’t want it,” he said. “We want the freedom to practice our religion, but we don’t want freedom for Jews and Christians and to have naked women and alcohol.”

Some worry extremists will try to exploit the uprising.

NATO’s top commander, U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, told Congress Tuesday that officials had seen “flickers” of possible al-Qaida and Hezbollah involvement with rebel forces. But he said there was no evidence of significant numbers within the opposition leadership.

Spokesman Mustafa Gheriani of the opposition council in Benghazi said that any extremists among the fighters are exceptions and that ensuring democracy is the only way to combat them.

“Once you have a democracy and a constitution, there is nothing for the West to fear,” he said. “Democracy generally puts down all of these extremist elements. Our best bet is a democracy.”

And while some at the training camp talked of the importance of Arab unity or the role of Islam in their society, none mentioned al-Qaida or any other terror or militant group. Most focused merely on hatred of Gadhafi.

On an oil-stained blanket, Karim Mahmoud, 48, and his 15-year old son struggled to assemble an anti-aircraft gun. Another son, 11, watched closely.

Mahmoud, a baker, said Gadhafi’s brutality pushed him – despite diabetes, high blood pressure and heart troubles – to seek arms with his sons.

“We lived under oppression for a long time, but we put up with it,” he said. “But when the regime killed our friends and brothers, we had to join the defense. The regime forced us to fight against it.”

A handful of others obviously under 18 were scattered among the hundreds of trainees. One trainer even pointed out his 10-year-old son sitting among a group being taught to use a rifle.

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