DAFNIYA, Libya: When the war in Libya started, many young men now on the rebel front line at Misrata were so interested in computer games and mobile phones that older residents never thought they would turn into fighters.

“Before the uprising, all those young men cared about was hair gel, clothes, music, mobile phones and hanging out in cafes,” said Mahmoud Askutri, a businessman who has formed and funds the 1st battalion of the Al-Masra regiment, one of the rebel units fighting here to end Moammar Gadhafi’s 41-year rule. “But now they fight and are willing to die for a cause.”Amid the Arab Spring protests that swept the region early this year, the people of Misrata and elsewhere in Libya demanded greater freedom, so Gadhafi sent in the troops to silence their protests.

After those troops opened fire on demonstrators, the people of Misrata rose up, initially fighting back with petrol bombs and hunting rifles.

Since then, they have wrested control of Libya’s third largest city from Gadhafi loyalists and, after mistakes that cost many lives, this army of former civilians has consolidated a front line 36 kilometers west of Misrata.

They have recently encountered better trained troops and have moved forward slowly under sustained bombardment to conserve ammunition, hold territory and reduce casualties.

“They treat me with great respect,” Askutri said before a visit to the men of Al-Masra on the front line. “But when I see them I do not feel worthy of that respect. A few months ago they were civilians. Now they are willing to die for their freedom.”

Salah is typical of many young men on the front line here. The 20-year-old was attending medical school when the uprising started. Life was easy and he spent a lot of time playing football games on Playstation.

Sitting with a group of other young men, he says he is a big fan of FC Barcelona. A second young man shakes his head and says he likes Real Madrid, while a third looks down at the Manchester United logos embossed on his shoes and says nothing.

Salah plans to return to university after the war, as he wants to become a cardiologist. “But first we must beat Gadhafi,” he says. “We cannot be free if we live under him.”

Mobile phones are common at the front line, even though the city has been without mobile reception since the uprising.

Young fighters use them to take pictures of each other and videos of battle. Some of them hand out email addresses, though again Internet is available at very few spots in Misrata.

Yezid, a slight 23-year-old microbiology student with round spectacles, carries a video camera to the front.

He has been wounded twice, with a bullet in his right thigh and a piece of shrapnel in his left knee that makes walking painful and running impossible. “This is my gun,” he said, holding up the camera with a smile.

Dressed in T-shirts, jeans and whatever sensible shoes they have, the teenagers and 20-somethings here have come a long way in just a few months. They joke when Gadhafi forces fire Grad rockets at them from nearby because they are not very effective at close range.

“A Grad is no problem, but I don’t like the mortars,” said Ahmad, 21, an engineering student sharing a bunker with two friends who jokingly refer to it as a five-star hotel. “The small pieces of metal from the mortar cut you.”

Despite the concern about mortars, the men at the front all seem focused on their cause.

Asked what thoughts he had of a future beyond the war, one 21-year-old who gave his name as Ali shook his head. “I don’t care about that now,” he said. “All I want to do is kill Gadhafi.”