Posted on 09/20/2012 5:46:36 PM PDT by barryobi
Amid accusations from Libyans and leading senators on Capitol Hill that the U.S. diplomatic office in Benghazi, Libya, was not adequately protected, top State Department officials offered the agency's most vigorous defense yet of security measures taken to fortify the post in the months before last week's deadly attack on the compound.
The sources, who spoke on the condition they only be identified as senior State Department officials because of the sensitive nature of the information, agreed to speak to CNN to respond to claims the United States did not respond to warnings about the dangerous conditions in Benghazi.
The officials said over the past few months, several security enhancements were made to the compound, including additional barriers and barbed wire, increased lighting, chain link fences, additional sand bags and closed circuit television
The officials noted there were three regular armed U.S. security officers detailed to the Benghazi post on the day of the 9/11 attack in addition to two armed American guards serving as a private detail for Stevens.
(Excerpt) Read more at security.blogs.cnn.com ...
So now we know the truth. ONLY FIVE ARMED AMERICANS TO PROTECT THE AMBASSADOR AND THE CONSULATE. They beefed up security by adding barbed wire, sandbags, and closed circuit cameras? What kind of crap is that. Oh yeah, they had a 'rapid reaction' force stationed in Benghazi to assist them if needed. According to my sources, there were less than 35 TOTAL AMERICANS AT THE SAFE HOUSE, INCLUDING THE EIGHT AMERICANS WHO FLEW IN BY HELICOPTER FROM TRIPOLI TO 'RESCUE' THE STAFF. So out of 35, how many were unarmed staffers, and how many were armed American security.
Also, the video cameras installed totaled FOUR, the few sandbags were useless, and the barbed wire a mere annoyance to the murdering scum who assaulted the consulate.
Romney needs to harp on the failure to provide protection for the Ambassador, that is Obama's Achilles heal right now. The lack of security is something that can't be argued. Now they are arguing over whether it was premeditated or not. That is beside the damn point! The fact there was not enough armed Americans in the whole damn country to fend off an attack by 100 jihadis is the point. When the consulate staff called the embassy for backup, the embassy sent EIGHT private security contractors!! To fight off 100+ terrorists with RPG's, mortars, and AK-47's, all we could muster was eight people!!
Hasn't this already been proven a lie? Two of the 'guards detailed' to the post were in Tripoli for other reasons and responded to the attack at the last minute, and did not die of asphyxiation but were killed attempting a rescue?
With so much BS stinking up the place, there's got to be a herd of cattle around here somewhere.
Actually, Stevens probably did have two security of his own, but they fled without finding and bringing him with. One of the security sent from Tripoli to rescue those at the safe house was killed, and the other was already at the safe house and on the room defending the building when a mortar round landed on the roof and took him out. CBS has a nice video report of the safe house showing bloody flak jackets and exploded mortar rounds on the roof.
Love the title (not)
Beefed up security ? They make it sound like there was security in the first place ...
What security ... as opposed to almost none....?
Was Stevens two man security detail American or Libyan?
“The lethality and ferocity of this assault is nothing that has been witnessed in Benghazi in previous attacks, and hard for us to think about another event that is similar,” added a second official, saying that it was unclear additional armed guards could have prevented the onslaught.
The consulate was bombed on June 6th. Al-Qaeda filmed the bombing and uploaded it to YOUTUBE. So you think they would stop with just a bomb once they knew you were too dumb to put adequate security there?
Time for me to watch my DVDs again. KHARTOUM and 55 DAYS AT PEKING. Or, how not to, and How to protect an embassy.
Both star Charlton Heston.
“...top State Department officials offered the agency’s most vigorous defense...”
Too bad their defense of US personnel was not as robust as their CYA defense.
Soooo Hillary what did you know and when did you know it????
That’s what I want in my next firefight, a video camera.
American, there were FIVE American security at the consulate, Five unarmed private Libyan security protecting the perimeter, and then an unknown number of armed Libyan members of the February 17 Brigade who were supposed to provide more muscle but ran off when the firing started.
It conflicts w/information given by another anonymous official from another agency who claimed the 2 former SEALs killed (Doherty and Wood) were there on another mission and were not responsible for the ambassador's security. That official claimed that Doherty and Woods were staying at the “safe house” and ran to the aid of the ambassador when they heard the gunfire at the consulate.
Links:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2933732/posts
There is no evidence I have seen to indicate there were any other U.S. personnel providing security for Ambassador Stevens at the time of the attack. If the other 3 individuals referred to in the CNN article were there, what happened to them and what were they doing at the time of the attack that led to them becoming separated from the ambassador???
Don’t forget a hi def monitor. That really tightens things up nicely.
Stevens had NO SECURITY.
According to this morning's Chris Plant radio show, WMAL,the two former SEALS were contract employees of a British Security firm called Blue Mountain (something). They were hired to secure the Consulate's documents. They chose to defend the employees out of sense of duty.
To date I've read nothing that indicates how or when they died. One of them was buried to day, sadly I can't recall that brave man's name.
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| Where's the beef? |
One of the two ex-SEALS was part of the rescue group flown in from Tripoli. The other was blown off the roof of the safe house by a mortar round...........Here is the story which came out the day after about the attack...........
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/12/libya-ambassador-battle-idINL5E8KCMYB20120912
Of the eight American troops who had come from Tripoli, one was killed and two were wounded, Obeidi said. A Libyan deputy interior minister said a second American was also killed in the attack on the safe house. It was not clear if this was a diplomat or one of the consulate’s original security detail.
“It began to rain down on us,” Obeidi told Reuters, describing the moment the attack began - just as the Libyan security force was starting up the 10 pickup trucks and sedans they had brought to ferry the Americans to the airport.
“About six mortars fell directly on the path to the villa,” he said. “During this firing, one of the marines whom I had brought with me was wounded and fell to the ground.
“As I was dragging the wounded marine to safety, some marines who were located on the roof of the villa as snipers shouted and the rest of the marines all hit the ground.
“A mortar hit the side of the house. One of the marines from the roof went flying and fell on top of us.”
Why on 9/11 was the ambassador in Benghazi rather than the more secure embassy building in Tripoli?
Of the eight American troops who had come from Tripoli, one was killed and two were wounded, Obeidi said. A Libyan deputy interior minister said a second American was also killed in the attack on the safe house. It was not clear if this was a diplomat or one of the consulate’s original security detail.
“It began to rain down on us,” Obeidi told Reuters, describing the moment the attack began - just as the Libyan security force was starting up the 10 pickup trucks and sedans they had brought to ferry the Americans to the airport.
“About six mortars fell directly on the path to the villa,” he said. “During this firing, one of the marines whom I had brought with me was wounded and fell to the ground.
“As I was dragging the wounded marine to safety, some marines who were located on the roof of the villa as snipers shouted and the rest of the marines all hit the ground.
“A mortar hit the side of the house. One of the marines from the roof went flying and fell on top of us.”
And how many of them only had handguns?
Given the size and power of the assault a dozen security guys would have made little difference. However, since there is ample evidence that we had intel three days prior, the ambassador should NEVER have been allowed to go into Jihadi Benghazi.
Excellent catch....
Thanks for the ping. This is going to leave a mark.
Beefed up security to me means a gatling gun chambered in.45-70. But that’s just me.
About 49,000. Cheap insurance.
Thx. Yes, I was aware of that report; however, there were many conflicting reports regarding the firefights at the consulate and the “safe house.” I have doubts about the accuracy of this report as the reaction force is identified as “Marines.” Headquarters Marine Corps issued a statement early on that there were no Marines in country at the time of the attack including the embassy at Tripoli. Marines did not arrive in Tripoli until a FAST Company was deployed from Rota, Spain in response to the murder of Ambassador Stevens. To the best of my knowledge the Marine FAST is still located at the embassy in Tripoli. My guess is the reaction team referenced in your article was either CIA or DoS security personnel ...but who knows.
Based on everything I read it appears one of the former SEALs was killed at the consulate and the other died at the safe house (probably one of the 2 casualties your article mentions. Still, that seems to indicate there was at least one other member of the reaction force wounded and several others who apparently were extracted by the convoy that eventually left the “safe house.”
That still begs the question as to who was responsible for the ambassador's security at the time he was attacked at the consulate; other than the Libyan contractors; who apparently ran away for the most part. (Assuming that the most recent report that the 2 former SEALs were staying at the “safe house;” were not part of the security detail and joined the fray after hearing the initial gunfire.)
Regards,
-Geoff
Hmm. Remember last week when the state department claimed they couldn’t SAY ANYTHING because there was an investigation?
Now that it is more convenient for them to try to defend themselves, they seem to have no problem talking loudly, if not truthfully.
Hahahahahaha!
I think the report I referenced undoubtedly has errors, but since it was filed on sept 12, that is to be expected. The fact the reporter interviewed the February 17 brigade guy who picked up the 8 Americans at the airport and transported them to the safe house leads credence to the story. The reporter calls them Marines, but the reporter was a local Libyan, so he may think of all armed Americans as ‘marines’. The report is too detailed about the mortars hitting the consulate and the one security person being blown off the roof by a mortar explosion.
Here is a story with a CBS video report embedded that seems to mesh with what the story I posted here.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57513675/a-look-at-the-libya-safe-house-that-was-attacked/
I’m still waiting for the final word from the man who knows everything about anything .... yes, Slow Joe .... it’s not real until Slow Joe says it is.
We need NUTINY, NOW, our ship of state is sinking faster than we thought.
See post #14...
Ernest. Thanks for the three latest pings. It is 1:40AM EST, and I’m shot. I just finished the HR committee hearing, chaired by Darryl Issa, regarding the fast and furious investigations. 3 hour session. I’m shot. So I will with respect deter your postings to the upcoming day at my end, after I try to get some sleep. Do have a great upcoming day.
Have a good snooze...we’ll all be around here tomorrow.
>>Why on 9/11 was the ambassador in Benghazi rather than the more secure embassy building in Tripoli?
Christopher Stevens Feeds the Crocodile
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2930836/posts
Stevens was the diplomatic version of “Grizzly Man” Timothy Treadwell.
An addendum from what was reported on FOX last night: DoS in their testimony to Congress yesterday claimed there were 5 security officers w/the ambassador at the time of the attack; however, DoS also seems to be implying that the 2 former SEALs who were killed were part of that group; which contradicts what has been reported from an anonymous official from another agency who claimed the SEALs were not part of the ambassadors security detail and did not have primary responsibility for the ambassador and his staff.
To the best of my knowledge, no other security officers have been identified; nor do we know why they were so ill prepared and why they apparently became separated from the ambassador during the attack.
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