![](http://www.newsmax.com/getattachment/313d4ffb-9208-4496-82ac-24f36a14c241/martyrs-brigade-4.jpg.aspx)
A more recent entry[to February 17th Martyrs Brigade's Facebook page], dated March 2, features a graphic celebrating Jabhat al-Nusra, the offshoot of Al-Qaida in Iraq that has played a leading role in the Syrian insurrection against the rule of Bashar al-Assad.
The U.S. State Department had hired the
February 17th Martyrs Brigade to provide security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi. A document recovered from the mission two days after the attack indicated the
State Department had arranged for the Martyrs Brigade to act as a Quick Reaction Force to protect the mission. The Memorandum of Agreement states that in the event of an attack on the U.S. mission, QRF will request additional support from the 17th February Martyrs Brigade.
Throughout the summer leading up to the attack, embassy officials repeatedly asked the State Department for additional security. But the State Department actually reduced security,
pulling out a military detachment that had been tasked with defending diplomats in Libya.
One reason the requests for additional security may have been denied: They did not fit into the administration narrative that al-Qaida elements no longer posed a threat to U.S. interests.
One diplomatic cable to the mission indicated that the U.S.-based deputy assistant secretary for diplomatic security was reluctant to ask for [additional security] apparently out of concern that
it would be embarrassing to the [State Department] to continue to have to rely on [Defense Department] assets to protect our mission.
When the missions regional safety officer expressed an interest in July 2012 asking State Department official to permit the military security team to continue to protect the mission,
Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary
in charge of diplomatic security, sent an e-mail that responded:
NO, I do not [I repeat] not want them to ask for the [military security] team to stay!
Being paid by the State Department to reconnoiter the complete Benghazi compound for their AQ buds, then to be sure to get out of the way to let the really bad boys in to do the dirty work: Nice work, if you can get it!
Which work, of course, they could be paid nicely to do with Barry-the-Muslim's Look-the-Other-Way Administration!
HF