Breaking: Fox News reports CIA command refused to help Benghazi consulate during attack

Hot Air ^ | 12:01 pm on October 26, 2012 | Ed Morrissey

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Yesterday, Leon Panetta told reporters that the US military didn’t intervene to assist our consulate in Benghazi during the attack because of a lack of real-time intelligence.  Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin now reports that the CIA got at least three requests for support from the annex in the city to help fend off the attack — and that the chain of command not only refused the requests, but ordered its personnel to “stand down.”  Two of the Americans killed in the terrorist attack disobeyed orders and attempted to rescue their fellow Americans:

Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that three urgent requests from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack nearly seven hours later were denied by officials in the CIA chain of command — who also told the CIA operators to “stand down” rather than help the ambassador’s team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a small team who were at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, they radioed to inform their higher-ups to tell them what they were hearing. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. An hour later, they called again to headquarters and were again told to “stand down.”

Woods, Doherty and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the Consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The quick reaction force from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the Consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Specter gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours — enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.

It’s not as if there was no resources to respond, either:

A Special Operations team, or CIF which stands for Commanders in Extremis Force, operating in Central Europe had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but they too were told to stand down. A second force that specializes in counterterrorism rescues was on hand at Sigonella, according to senior military and intelligence sources. According to those sources, they could have flown to Benghazi in less than two hours. They were the same distance to Benghazi as those that were sent from Tripoli. Specter gunships are commonly used by the Special Operations community to provide close air support.

Griffin’s sources tell her that the annex had painted a laser target at a terrorist mortar position and had called for an air strike.  I’m not sure what that looks like in Panetta’s world, but it at least sounds like real-time intelligence on the attack, as well as a clear target, if this report is correct.

Saxby Chambliss is right — this gets uglier every day.

[Marine_Uncle]

I just finished listening to the first one. The good colonel laid it all out on the line. No room for bull shit. Some one in the White Hut either did not inform the POTUS in real time or he was awakened and decided to not act.
And no one immediately under him with the authority to contact directly Panetta and then Dempsey, others, where put in the loop to phone General Ham's boys to get those C-130U's in the air from the operating base in Djibouti Africa, (closer then Signello AFB Sicily), or elsewhere, in the air while there was adequate time to do so.
Incidentally it appears that Rush has taken up the elegant habit of cigars once again. Thanks. I did not see that video prior to your suggestion.
Now on to your second URL link.

[Marine_Uncle]

"4+ hours of that again. lol"
Understand. Imagine how all this is effecting my flying time in my high performance F18E Super Hornet, while in Microsoft Flight Simulator. :)
But as most of our rage continues to increase over our loosing those four. Well no use going into how we all feel.
Now onto your second suggested video.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Ernest:

• Petraeus Throws Obama Under the Bus
• Bill Kristol: Petraeus Throws Obama Under the Bus

[Marine_Uncle]

Man. I have not visited Black Five site in some time.
OK. Read.
Interesting from the closing statements within the update section:
"Update 6: Another (very very trusted) source is saying that the AC130 resources were in the middle of a rotation and that the new resources weren't ready yet so no help would come from Sigonella. So that confirms Panetta's statement."

OK. If true let Leon off the hook for the time being. As well as the CIA.

What holds regardless of any bull shit anyone tries to throw out is that the POTUS by all indications was advised not to do anything by perhaps one of say four individuals, within the major puppet handlers for him.
OR.
He was not even made immediately what was going on, by the situation room operators, and his staff.

It all goes back to the kenyan as so many are now pointing the finger at, for a gross dereliction of duty.

Interesting also from the Black Five. The ready prepardness at the Italian bases regarding the C-130 gun ships. And as I had indicated many days back. We had no carrier force in the Med. Only what it turned out to be two loan destroyers.

[uncitizen]

Wow! that’s shameful!

[Marine_Uncle]

RE: "I think that was prior to the attack."
You are correct Ernest. I watched the whole four hours quite a few times. Point the good Colonel was making, was that AFRICAM offered freebies in the way of SECOPS support long before 9/11 took place. And it would not have cost the DOS a damn dime. The DOD funding already would have supplied additional beefing up via. SECOPS forces to certain areas within Libya.
Clinton is as much blame for the deaths of those five as the usurper is.
I'm giving DOD and the CIA a pass until any new breaking news can really pin them down for the ultimate responsibility, and that of course includes the potential either might have had in this given situation to take it upon themselves to pull the trigger.
They must have been told by the White House to hold off.

[TigersEye]

Some one in the White Hut either did not inform the POTUS in real time...

Not believable. That would be a courts martial offense to fail that duty. In any case it is all logged.

[TigersEye]

By some miracle (Woods and Doherty) 37 others flew out of Benghazi to Tripoli and on to a hospital in Germany. The decision to let them fend for themselves was about 41 people (plus rescuers from Tripoli) not just four.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Watching Greta on Fox,...had Bing West on,...had Gen Scales on,...next is John Bolton...

Be back later.

[TigersEye]

Jennifer Griffin reported that there was an AC-130 at Sigonella ready to go and a Delta Force team in Sigonella ready to go.

EXCLUSIVE: CIA operators were denied request for help during Benghazi attack, sources say

[Marine_Uncle]

RE: "Not believable. That would be a courts martial offense to fail that duty. In any case it is all logged."

Agree. There is always supposed to be a senior military person siting in the situation room watching the monitors and receiving and giving out calls as required.
I was only giving the only options within the scope of the scenario to be considered.
So it always points directly into the POTUS's face. He failed his duties as CIC, a US Ambassador and three very honorable military folks died on his watch. Sadly we have only one option. Treason was committed.

[TigersEye]

I don’t mind so much that you offered up the devil’s advocate position. It presents the opportunity to reply to it. There just isn’t any way to shift responsibility from 0bama to anyone else. He has tried at least a half dozen ways to do that since Sept. 11th and everyone gets shot down in short order. He left 41 people to die. Thankfully 37 got out.

[Marine_Uncle]

I watched Jenny's report on the gun ship's at Sicily airfield. I deferred to the possibilities as was informed through the BLACK FIVE update you suggested as over riding what she had reported earlier. I did watch that video by her.
But we also cannot discount a closer base that being in Djibouti Africa.
Many parameters to have to consider in the whole.

[jjotto]

Djibouti is around 2,000 miles from Benghazi.

[Marine_Uncle]

"He has tried at least a half dozen ways to do that since Sept. 11th and everyone gets shot down in short order. He left 41 people to die. Thankfully 37 got out."

Double dittos required. As I shared with you by private mail. I still have a great nephew working at a remote FOB in Afghanistan.
Since about 1958 or so I can only say. My heart has been close to our military folks in all their capacities. And I might as well add our CIA for what so many do in harms way for this country. And for those really brave ones within the DOS despite the mostly assholes that have run the place since the beginning of say the Second World War. No use going there. Volumes have been printed.
We have a POTUS that has committed treason by all indications. And three quarters of America have not the slightest idea as to what has come to past.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I don’t buy that,...thought it was in the horn of Africa....across from Yeman.

[brityank]

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that there was not a clear enough picture of what was occurring on the ground in Benghazi to send help.

"There's a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here," Panetta said Thursday. "But the basic principle here ... is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on."

THIS is the moron we have running our Military??

We always 'deploy forces into harm's way' when initiating any action!

[Marine_Uncle]

Your correct obviously. I'm really getting tired. On the coast of the Gulf of Tadjoura. With the advanced notices being given that something was in the works at Benghazi for September 9th. Air assets could have been flown up from that base. I should have been a bit more explicit in my comments.
Thanks. Don't want to mislead anyone.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

General Scales said earlier there is an military saying [paraphrased] “When in doubt, run to the sound of the guns.”

[Marine_Uncle]

Approximate Nautical Air Miles from two points in question.
1800 nm. jjotto was accurate. I should have been a bit more clear as how I wrote my comments. I'm tired.