In pictures: Monrovia waits

1 of 9 Anxiety over the outcome of the rebel attack is palpable among the refugees trapped in Monrovia.

2 of 9 Troops loyal to President Taylor are fighting back and medics are preparing for casualties.

3 of 9 The veteran president is counting on his troops to carry the day again but the rebels have never been closer.

4 of 9 US citizens are gathering at their embassy but for Liberian refugees trapped in the capital, there is nowhere to go.

5 of 9 America helped found Liberia as a state for its former slaves but now it is keeping its distance.

6 of 9 Behind closed doors, the children of foreign embassy staff wait their turn...

7 of 9 ... To be airlifted to safety, by French military helicopters.

8 of 9 But, for the rain-whipped refugees, the wait is just beginning - and they can only wonder how it will all end.

9 of 9 With land exits cut off by the rebels, they are settling into any pocket of shelter they can find.