Hardly Mentioned: 8 Americans Wounded in Benghazi - Local Security Abandoned the Property

Maggie's Notebook ^ | 9-14-12 | Maggie@MaggiesNotebook

[maggiesnotebook]

The UK Independent article has been quoted many times concerning the news that the US had a 48-hour warning before the Cairo Embassy and Benghazi Consulate attacks, but little has been known about another 8 Americans wounded, some of them Military, or that the 30+ force of Libyan guards on the property abandoned it, for the most part. Also, news that the Consulate had just had a "security health check," by local sources, due to the coming day of 9/11, and apparently passed. A pressing question: how badly wounded are these 8 Americans. Other than emotional scars, will they bear life-alternating physical limitations? UPDATE: Some later reports say 14 were wounded, but I haven't found confirmation, or clarification that they were all Americans.

According to security sources the consulate had been given a "health check" in preparation for any violence connected to the 9/11 anniversary. In the event, the perimeter was breached within 15 minutes of an angry crowd starting to attack it at around 10pm on Tuesday night.

There was, according to witnesses, little defence put up by the 30 or more local guards meant to protect the staff. Ali Fetori, a 59-year-old accountant who lives near by, said: "The security people just all ran away and the people in charge were the young men with guns and bombs."

Maybe the State Department will try to help Mr. Ali Fetori get himself and his family out of the country. His future is grim now that his name and his story is in western news. Hopefully we learned something from the arrest of the Pakistani doctor who aided us in the bin Laden raid, but is now in prison.

Mr Stevens, it is believed, was left in the building by the rest of the staff after they failed to find him in dense smoke caused by a blaze which had engulfed the building. He was discovered lying unconscious by local people and taken to a hospital, the Benghazi Medical Centre, where, according to a doctor, Ziad Abu Ziad, he died from smoke inhalation.

An eight-strong American rescue team was sent from Tripoli and taken by troops under Captain Fathi al- Obeidi, of the February 17 Brigade, to the secret safe house to extract around 40 US staff. The building then came under fire from heavy weapons. "I don't know how they found the place to carry out the attack. It was planned, the accuracy with which the mortars hit us was too good for any ordinary revolutionaries," said Captain Obeidi. "It began to rain down on us, about six mortars fell directly on the path to the villa." UK Independent

Libyan reinforcements eventually arrived, and the attack ended. News had arrived of Mr Stevens, and his body was picked up from the hospital and taken back to Tripoli with the other dead and the survivors.

Read more about warnings, perhaps earlier than 48 hours here.

[Toespi]

This is Obamas America and right now they are in damage control. Our information is generally filtered, but right now it is nonexistent. Media still trying to figure out how to make silk out of this current pig’s ear.

[Walkingfeather]

Hope their life insurance is paid up. You can bet the administration is not going to want them to talk.