Special to WorldTribune.com

French, British and U.S. special forces are carrying out covert missions on the ground in Libya against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), a Feb. 24 report said.

French President Francois Hollande approved “unofficial military action” by special operations forces and the DGSE intelligence agency, according to a Le Monde report.

What Le Monde referred to as “France’s secret war in Libya” involved occasional targeted strikes against ISIL leaders and discreet action on the ground in attempt to slow the terror group’s growth in Libya.

A source close to Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he had ordered an investigation into “breaches of national defense secrecy” to identify the sources of the Le Monde report.

Report also confirmed that France has set up an advance military base in northern Niger on the border with Libya.