Source? Acknowledged by whom?
From the CNN web-site:
At the peak of the Iraqi insurgency, more jihadists per capita traveled to join al Qaeda in Iraq from Libya than from any other country. And according to al Qaeda records seized by the U.S. Army in Iraq, in 2006-07 more volunteers -- a total of 53 -- travelled to Iraq from Derna than any other city in the Arab world. And in the 1990s, Benotman's group had tried to establish a safe haven in Derna, eventually being bombed into submission by the Libyan air force.
It does seem odd that our leaders are only now making any serious efforts to find out who the rebels are and what they are after.