Libya's interim government has sent NATO commanders still pictures and video imagery which "leave no doubt" of Muammar el-Qaddafi's death, a senior Western military official told National Journal.
The official said "other NATO assets" - an allusion to the Western intelligence operatives who have been on the ground in Libya for months aiding the rebels there - were en route to Surt to make final confirmation of the Libyan strongman's death.
The U.S. has yet to formally confirm Qaddafi's killing, a consequence of the Obama administration's deliberate decision to send far fewer civilian and intelligence operatives to Libya than other NATO countries. Britain, for instance, has kept several hundred paramilitary personnel deployed to Libya since the start of the uprising. Still, with key U.S. allies like the European Union already formally confirming Qaddafi's death, it is virtually certain that Washington will soon follow suit.