WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has
signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government
support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar
Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters Wednesday.
Obama signed the order, known as a presidential "finding",
within the last two or three weeks, according to four U.S.
government sources familiar with the matter.
Such findings are a principal form of presidential
directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central
Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the White House declined
immediate comment.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; additional reporting by Susan
Cornwell; Editing by David Storey)
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