Libya closes Benghazi airport after Islamists fire at U.S. drones

haaretz ^ | 9/14/2012 | ha

[barryobi]

Libya closed its air space over Benghazi airport temporarily because of heavy anti-aircraft fire by Islamists aiming at U.S. reconnaissance drones flying over the city, days after the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack.

The closure of the airport prompted speculation that the United States was deploying special forces in preparation for an attack against the militants who were involved.

A Libyan official said the spy planes flew over the embassy compound and the city, taking photos and inspecting locations of radical militant groups who are believed to have planned and staged the attack on the U.S. consulate on Tuesday.

Militants used anti-aircraft guns to fire at the drones, forcing the authorities to shut the airport because they feared for the safety of passenger planes. "Two American drones flew over Benghazi last night with knowledge of the Libyan authorities," Deputy Interior Minister, Wanis al-Sharif told Reuters.

"They were visible to the eye, and came under attack by anti-aircraft weapons used by armed militias."

"For this reason, Benghazi security decided to close down the Benghazi airport air space. Any decision to allow an operation of any sort on Libya soil will be made in coordination with the congress and the new government."

Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the other Americans died after gunmen attacked the lightly fortified U.S. consulate and a safe house refuge in Benghazi on Tuesday night. The attack, which U.S. officials believe could have been planned in advance, emerged from a protest blaming America for a film they said insulted the Prophet Mohammed.

At least four international UN staff running the United Nations mission in Benghazi pulled out on Friday for security reasons, a UN source said. Several Western diplomats including the Italian consul have also left the city, according to Libyan officials

[barryobi]

Here comes Wag the Dog OBAMA Style....

[JoanneSD]

I ws thinking the same thing.. this is Obamas wag the dog show...

[US Navy Vet]

“U.S. Drones” ya meen they sent Biden over there!!

[barryobi]

The perps are in Derna, about 70 miles east of Benghazi.......AL-QAEDA has set up an Islamic emirate in Derna, in eastern Libya, headed by a former US prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.

[Belteshazzar]

Nothing to see here. Move along, move along. These are just more protests against a movie on YouTube.

[dalebert]

hahahhaha. oh wow!

[AU72]

So Obama is worried the muzzies will be offended by a sketchy YouTube video but they won’t get the turbans in twist when we drone bomb them.

[Lazamataz]

The closure of the airport prompted speculation that the United States was deploying special forces in preparation for an attack against the militants who were involved.

Told everyone about this.

[Red Steel]

Here comes Wag the Dog OBAMA Style....

Obama supported these Muslim Brotherhood clowns to take power and has an opportunity to use them to keep him in power.

That's devious if that was his original intent and spins it his way.

[tcrlaf]

ARE YOU DISTRACTED ENOUGH FROM THE ECONOMY, YET?

[WildHighlander57]

Can you post a Link to this info?

[The Toll]

Yes, he did indeed support these people. I wonder where that support was when the Iranian’s were gunning down NEDA during those protests?????

[RummyChick]

I can’t imagine how he thinks this is going to get him reelected.

Is there some agreement where he comes to the rescue and the Muslim Brotherhood ceases all activities right before the election.

HA...who in Middle America is not going to see through that!

[edcoil]

It was and, highlighted in red.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/libya-closes-benghazi-airport-after-islamists-fire-at-u-s-drones-1.465080

[Signalman]

The Libyans are turning on one of their biggest supporters. In the words of Haglary: “How could that happen”?

[angcat]

no we are not we can watch everything we are not idiots.

[barryobi]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/12/world/africa/libya-attack-jihadists/
A pro-al Qaeda group responsible for a previous armed assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is the chief suspect in Tuesday’s attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, sources tracking militant Islamist groups in eastern Libya say.
They also note that the attack immediately followed a call from al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri for revenge for the death in June of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a senior Libyan member of the terror group.
The group suspected to be behind the assault — the Imprisoned Omar Abdul Rahman Brigades — first surfaced in May when it claimed responsibility for an attack on the International Red Cross office in Benghazi. The following month the group claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive device outside the U.S. Consulate and later released a video of that attack.
Another Libyan official told CNN at the same time that five radical Islamist militant commanders were operating in the Derna area, with 200 to 300 men under their command in camps in the area. Ironically, Christopher Stevens — the U.S. ambassador killed in Tuesday’s attack — had written extensively about the rise of Salafist factions in and around Derna in a 2008 diplomatic cable.
As CNN has previously reported, one of militant commanders, according to several sources, is Abdulbasit Azuz, a long-time associate of al-Zawahiri. Azuz was dispatched by al-Zawahiri to Libya from Pakistan’s tribal areas in the spring of 2011 to create a foothold for al Qaeda in Libya, the sources say.

[oldbrowser]

Here comes Wag the Dog OBAMA Style....

I just don't believe that this will work as intended. This clown ignited a fire and now he is running from it. Why would anyone follow him?

[Mr. K]

I dont think this is about getting him re-elected- I think the diaper-heads know he is NOT going to be re-elected and so they figure they have about 50 days to act while Obozo is still in charge

If he LOSES then the real fun will begin- because they will start enough crap that Odumbass will declare martial law.

There is a talk that the Obammunists have a code name for this election cycle called “at any cost” and they MEAN IT

[lodi90]

Yep. Looks like Captain Kenya is getting ready to invade Libya. Probably already have SF boots on the ground.

They want to create more distractions so people don’t start asking questions about what Obama was doing Sept.10-11.

I still have not seen a full time line of what the POTUS was doing as the crisis unfolded. It appears he went to bed with the consulate under assault and the Ambassador MIA. It seems his team relied entirely on the Libyans. No US military response until the events were over. WTF!

[CygnusXI]

Bingo. "Suspended until things get back under control..yada yada."

Seems less perposterous every day lately..

[Navy Patriot]

The October surprise Mid East war, as planned.

[crosshairs]

Obama wants to divert attention away from Iran, so that they can complete their mission.

[matt04]

"They were visible to the eye, and came under attack by anti-aircraft weapons used by armed militiasMuslims."

Fixed it.

[Blue Highway]

Wag the Dog or not, how will Obama, Hilary, Carney and the rest of the liberals explain this saying Muslims are peace loving and they are not anti-US?

[Blue Highway]

When will the drones begin firing on the terrorists?

[freebird5850]

Amazing how quiet my Dem cube mates have been the last few days.

[b4its2late]

Wait till a drone shoots back!

[Blue Highway]

Are Libyan military allowing these militants to fire military style weapons without firing on the militants or are they supporting them? Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm

[The Toll]

These militants ARE the Libyan military now. That’s the problem.

[fella]

No way this is an attack on the United States, Obama says so.

[Blue Highway]

I wonder if Obama still has his tee time scheduled to play rounds of golf while American interests are being attacked on an hourly basis now?

[lacrew]

Why would a drone fly so low?

Something doesn’t smell right.

[BwanaNdege]

"Militants used anti-aircraft guns to fire at the drones, forcing the authorities to shut the airport because they feared for the safety of passenger planes."

"If it flies, SHOOT IT!" is the motto of most (undisciplined) 3rd world AA gunners.

In Tanzania they fired on two police helicopters with "POLICI" written on the side in letters a foot high.

The same crews fired on me while flying a Bell JetRanger in Uganda. My clearance was on the airport manager's desk. He had forgotten to tell the gunners that I was OK.

Getting out of there I melted my first stage stator vanes in the hot section of my engine. (hey, I'll melt engines all day long getting away from a ZSU-23-2 100-150 yards away!)

"ZSU-23-2"

["May you live an interesting life" - mythical 'Old Chinese'] 生活愉快

[The Electrician]

It is very thoughtful and considerate of the Jihadi savages to reveal their positions so that we can perform accurate targeting.

[Cliff Dweller]

Too bad we don’t have an AC-130 “Puff the Magic Dragon” Drone... that would be worth the admission to watch.

[CitizenM]

Oh you a person after my own initial thoughts. Did you read my mind? I sent you a private reply.

[grey_whiskers]

Stevens died, Obama lied.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Post # 19.

I have been thinking the same thing for a couple of days.

And my fellow Americans living in the U.S.A. will sit back on their a$$e$ and whine doing nothing about it as usual.

[mass55th]

"... headed by a former US prisoner at Guantanamo Bay."

Is he one of Barry's releasees?

[CitizenM]

Bingo!

[mass55th]

Probably shooting at the drones with weapons that Bambi and Hitlary gave them.

[mass55th]

I think that besides asking the question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”, they need to be asking: “Are you safer than you were four years ago?”

[mass55th]

I heard he’s attending a fundraiser tonight in NY with Beyonce and some other dummies. He’s going to “welcome home” (media’s words) the fallen Americans today, then go party tonight.

[Adder]

They SAID they were surveillance drones. Not sure they are armed.

[Wordkraft]

All of this trouble would make a dandy excuse for Zero to, “For national security,” postpone the election until calmer times.

Like, maybe, the year 2062?

[bravo whiskey]

most folks, freepers and miltary excepted, do not realize that all that crap that goes up has to come down. in GW-1 i believe more iraqis in baghdad were killed by falling FLAK than us munitions.

[SaraJohnson]

So Obama is worried the muzzies will be offended by a sketchy YouTube video but they won’t get the turbans in twist when we drone bomb them.

---

They are targeting drones because Resident Braggard in Chief has been using them to kill Muslim leaders. It’s not about a movie. It’s about war.

[listenhillary]

Libya had quite the stock pile of weapons. The O administration received some crap about not securing them before helping the uprising.

[carriage_hill]

“...a former US prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.”

There should be no “former” GITMO terrorists; they should have all been executed.