NYT: CIA, MI6 agents active in Libya to aid airstrikes and meet rebels

[News_Editor]

NYT: CIA, MI6 agents active in Libya to aid airstrikes and meet rebels

2011-03-31 14:02:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has deployed clandestine operatives in Libya to gather intelligence for military airstrikes and to contract rebels fighting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

President Obama had earlier insisted that no American military ground troops would participate in the coalition action against Gaddafi, which is approved under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. But American officials told the newspaper that small groups of CIA operatives have been working in Libya for "several weeks".

U.S. officials refused to confirm or deny the report. "As is common practice for this and all Administrations, I am not going to comment on intelligence matters," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement. "We're assessing and reviewing options for all types of assistance that we could provide to the Libyan people, and have consulted directly with the opposition and our international partners about these matters."

In addition to the CIA presence, the New York Times reported, current and former British officials said that dozens of British special forces and MI6 intelligence officers are also working inside Libya. The British operatives have been directing airstrikes from British jets and gathering intelligence about the whereabouts of Libyan government tank columns, artillery pieces and missile installations, the officials told the newspaper.

MI6 is the UK Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), which is responsible for supplying the British government with foreign intelligence. It is different from MI5, which is responsible for protecting UK citizens against major threats to national security.

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