The CIA has sent more than a dozen covert operatives to Libya as part of an escalating U.S. effort to vet the rebels working to oust Libyan strongman Muammar el-Qaddafi and lay the groundwork for potentially funneling American aid to the insurgents, according to a person with direct knowledge of the CIA's operations there.
The CIA’s deployment to Libya, which is virtually certain to expand in the coming days, comes amid word that President Obama has authorized U.S. intelligence agencies to provide assistance to the Libyan rebels. There are no U.S. military personnel on the ground in Libya yet, though the United Kingdom, America’s closest battlefield ally, has several dozen Special Operations personnel and M16 agents already operating there. News of the CIA deployment to Libya was first reported by The New York Times and then independently confirmed by National Journal.
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