Military options for Libya being weighed, general testifies

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Richard Lardner, The Associated Press

Gen. Joseph L. Votel, currently the head of the Special Operations Command, left, and Lt. Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 9, 2016, to testify before the Senate Armed Services confirmation Committee hearing to elevate their positions. Votel has been nominated to become the commander of U.S. Central Command which oversees military operations in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State Group. Thomas has been nominated to replace Gen. Votel as leader of the secretive Special Operations Command. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON — A high-ranking U.S. military official says options for sending American special operations forces into Libya are being prepared for senior Defense Department leaders.

During congressional testimony Wednesday, Army Lt. Gen. Tony Thomas says Libya and other parts of Africa where the Islamic State group is spreading require “potentially unique special operations solutions.”

He says there are organized groups in Libya that would be affiliated with the fledgling government in Tripoli and could work with U.S. commandos.

Thomas says the government in Libya must succeed for any potential special operations missions to do well there.

Thomas is the commander of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He’s been nominated to be the top officer at U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

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Richard Lardner, The Associated Press