CIA Agents Helping Libyan Rebels

Meanwhile, Britain Says Libya Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa Defected
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 30, 2011 4:30 PM CDT
Updated Mar 30, 2011 5:42 PM CDT
Obama OKs Support for Libya Rebels: Report
A Libyan rebel walks with a rocket-propelled grenade as he takes position at the west gate of the eastern city of Ajdabiya.   (Getty Images)

CIA operatives are on the ground in Libya helping anti-Gadhafi rebels, reports the New York Times. They're apparently not in combat mode—instead they're collecting intelligence on military movements to guide airstrikes and setting up communication with the rebels. British agents are doing the same. The report lends credence to an earlier dispatch from Reuters saying that President Obama had authorized some kind of covert operation to aid the anti-Gadhafi movement.

  • In another potentially significant development, the British government said Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa arrived in London today and resigned, reports AP. A Libya spokesman quickly dismissed the report and said Koussa is on a diplomatic mission. "He has not defected." British officials say they'll provide details after interviewing him.
  • All this unfolds as Gadhafi's forces continue to maintain the upper hand on the military front. Rebels have now lost the oil port of Ras Lanuf along with nearby Bin Jawad, and are retreating from Brega, reports BBC.
(More Libya stories.)

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