WASHINGTON (AP) — An American official and a former U.S. intelligence officer tell The Associated Press that the CIA sent operatives to Libya this month after the agency's station in the capital was forced to close.
CIA officers also assisted in rescuing one of the two crew members of an F-15E Strike Eagle that crashed.
Intelligence experts says the CIA would have sent officials to make contact with the opposition and assess the strength and needs of the rebel forces in the event President Barack Obama decided to arm them.
The U.S. official and the former intelligence officer say the CIA helped safely recover the fighter jet's weapons specialist. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
The New York Times reported the CIA had sent in small groups of CIA operatives and that British operatives were directing airstrikes.
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