[91], Just after midnight, the CIA annex came under machine gun, rocket and mortar fire. The President of the Palestinian Authority, who worked closely with Chris when he served in Jerusalem, sent me a letter remembering his energy and integrity, and deploringand I quote'an act of ugly terror. "[161], On September 21, about 30,000 Libyans marched through Benghazi calling for support of the rule of law and for an end to the armed militias that had formed during the Libyan Civil War to oppose Colonel Gaddafi. One Libyan guard who was wounded in the attack was quoted as saying "there wasn't a single ant outside [before the attack]. "[208], On October 4, 22 days after the attack, FBI investigators were finally allowed access to the scene of the attack. For all these crimes, there have been no real investigations, no known arrests (except of one man, who managed to break out of prison in May 2013), and no known prosecutions. While this intelligence was effectively shared within the Intelligence Community (IC) and with key officials at the Department of State, it did not lead to a commensurate increase in security at Benghazi nor to a decision to close the American mission there, either of which would have been more than justified by the intelligence presented. The wreckage of a car sits inside the US Embassy compound on September 12, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya,. 30,000 Libyans marched through Benghazi condemning Ansar al-Sharia, which had been formed during the 2011 Libyan civil war to topple Muammar Gaddafi. Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Associate Director, Middle East and North Africa Division. We provided that initial assessment to Executive Branch officials and members of Congress As we learned more about the attack, we revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists. The television ads in Pakistan (marked with the U.S. Embassy seal) feature clips of President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton during press appearances in Washington in which they condemned the video. [166] Hours before the announcement, in Derna, the two main militias (one of them Ansar al-Sharia) active in the city both withdrew, leaving both their five military bases behind. The team, which included two active-duty JSOC operators and five CIA personnel, had commandeered a small jet in Tripoli by paying the pilots $30,000 and forcing them to fly to Benghazi. "Do they want us all to get killed before they respond?". [201], On September 25, in an address before the United Nations General Assembly President Obama stated, "The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America And there should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice. [165][166][169], Hundreds of Libyans, mainly former rebel fighters, gathered in the city centers of Tripoli and Benghazi to hand over their weapons to the government on September 29. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton loomed large in the House Republican probe of the deaths of the U.S. ambassador to Libya in the Benghazi attack. Consulate attacked. interests. When did he know it? [237], On December 10, 2014, upon publication of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report on Benghazi,[238] Committee Chairman Mike Rogers wrote in an op-ed piece, "The Obama administration's White House and State Department actions before, during, and after the Benghazi terrorist attack on September 11, 2012, ranged from incompetence to deplorable political manipulation in the midst of an election season. Apr 21st 2011, 11:19 by J.D | LONDON. Hanan Salah is the Libya researcher at Human Rights Watch. 921. The facts: According to Democratic House Oversight Committee staff, the amount that the GOP-led House passed for two accounts that pay for embassy security in fiscal 2012 ($2.311 billion) was $330 . "That this was an act of terror, and I also said that we're going to hunt down those who committed this crime. Freedom of Information Act requests have been made since the attack. In the aftermath of the attacks, Republicans criticized the Obama administration and its then-secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to run for president in 2016. 2848; 113th Congress). Share this via Twitter An error occurred while subscribing your email address. "[239] However, immediately upon release of the committee's report on November 21, 2014, the Associated Press reported that the Committee did not conclude that any "government official acted in bad faith or intentionally misled the American people. When I think of Benghazi, in my mind I am counting the dead: How many today, how many the week before, how many this year, how many since 2011? ", "New York Times stands by Benghazi story", "U.S. captures Benghazi suspect in secret raid", "Mustafa al-Imam Sentenced to 236 Months in Prison for September 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, Libya", "Man seized over Benghazi attack is Syrian linked to suspected ringleader -Libyan officials", "Benghazi under scrutiny at congressional hearing live blog", "Benghazi witness points finger at Clinton on lapses in consulate security", "Clinton's role in the Benghazi fiasco and blame-shifting", Committee on Oversight and Government Reform House of Representatives, "U.S. officials blocked rescue efforts while Benghazi burned, Congress told", "Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack", "Deadly Attack in Libya Was Major Blow to C.I.A. He was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which tried to overthrow the Gadhafi regime in the mid-1990s. The interview was cut short and Ricks and the interview was not mentioned or covered by Fox News again. In November, a largely peaceful demonstration turned violent in Tripoli, as demonstrators marched to a neighborhood occupied largely by militias from Misrata and called on them to quit the capital. [168], Across the country, militias began surrendering to the government. He further stated he was the commander of an Islamist brigade, Abu Obaida ibn al-Jarrah, some of whose members had joined Ansar al-Sharia. There is no easy answer to what happens next, and no magic wand. [173], After the attack, Obama ordered that security be increased at all such facilities worldwide. [142] A few days later, on October 21, 2013, the United Nations Security Council designated the Muhammad Jamal network "as being associated with Al-Qaida". [5] Subsequent investigations showed that the attack was premeditatedalthough rioters and looters not originally part of the group may have joined in after the attacks began. It will not dim the light of the values that we proudly present to the rest of the world.[182]. And at the same time, we expect the world to cooperate with us to confront to what is meant out of this kind of act of cowardice. [200] According to the article, senators were angered at the Obama administration's rebuff of their attempts to learn details of the Benghazi attack, only to see that information published the next day in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He also urged the United States to continue supporting Libya as it went "through a very difficult time" and that the young Libyan government needed help so that it could "maintain security and stability in our country". After several days of fighting, and hundreds of people killed, anti-Gaddafi fighters seized control of Libya's second city.. Cities further east, including . As a result, Libya's justice sector is teetering on the brink of collapse. custody.[104]. "What are they [the government] waiting for?" Around 300 American, British, Polish & Ukrainian high-rank officers, inc. many NATO generals & colonels were killed 1/9. The RSO [Regional Security Officer] in Libya compiled a list of 234 security incidents in Libya between June 2011 and July 2012, 50 of which took place in Benghazi. There have been at least 12 attacks against media headquarters in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Derna, in addition to dozens of threats, assaults, and kidnappings of journalists this year alone. On August 6, the ICRC suspended operations in Benghazi. [31][32][34][35], Stevens had his last meeting of the day with a Turkish diplomat (Consul General Ali Sait Akn), and escorted the Turkish diplomat to the main gate at about 8:30p.m. local time. We firmly believe that this was a precalculated, preplanned attack that was carried out specifically to attack the U.S. [154], In the days after the attack, The New York Times stated that young Libyans had flooded Twitter with pro-American messages after the attacks. Efforts", "US Names Chris Stevens Liaison to Libyan Opposition", "Nightmare in Libya: Thousands of Surface-to-Air Missiles Unaccounted For", "Will a Middle East awash with weapons be Gaddafi's final legacy? [258] It criticized the actions and speed of response of the State Department, and the Defense Department, leading up to and during the attacks in Benghazi. [167], Handling the militias had been difficult as the government had been forced to rely on some of them for protection and security. [232][233] Romney was accused by the Obama campaign of trying to exploit the attacks for political gain, leading the father of Ambassador Stevens to call for both campaigns to avoid making it a campaign issue. "[135] The Innocence of Muslims video triggered dozens of protests from northwest Africa to southeast Asia, including violent protests at American embassies in Tunis, Khartoum, Cairo, Sana and Jakarta. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, IT expert Sean Smith and former U.S. Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were killed during the attack. The investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. government is working with Libyan authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. Salafist militants have targeted Sufis and their shrines in Libya since the overthrow of the late leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. [10][11][12] The United States immediately increased security worldwide at diplomatic and military facilities and began investigating the Benghazi attack. [81] The attackers entered the main building and attempted to enter the safe haven. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. Other ways to share White House Spokesman Jay Carney later specified that the criticism of the administration's handling of the Benghazi attacks was one of those "phony scandals". [137] Ali Harzi was released by Tunisian authorities on January 8, 2013, because of a lack of evidence. The government formed a "National Mobile Force" for the purpose of evicting illegal militias. [157][158], The Libyan response to the crisis was praised and appreciated in the United States, and President Obama emphasized how the Libyans "helped our diplomats to safety" to an American audience the following day,[15] while a New York Times editorial criticized Egypt's government for not doing "what Libyan leaders did". [256] As part of this investigation, four career State Department officials were criticized for denying requests for additional security at the facility prior to the attack. American UAVs were also sent to fly over Libya to search for the perpetrators of the attack.[181]. Friday is not only a day for solemn memorials for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but it's also the somber anniversary of the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans. We do notwe do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned. The fighter planes based in Aviano were unarmed and no aerial refueling planes were within a 10-hour flight to the base. Hayes argues that there's "the real Benghazi" the actual city in Libya, a place where things of real concern like the 9/11/12 attack happen and "#Benghazi," which he defines as "the world . The failure of authorities to deal with the violence now threatens to bring about a total collapse of Libya's key institutions. These accusations were widely shared across various blogs and social media platforms. The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia.. On September 11, 2012, at 9:40 pm local time, members of Ansar al-Sharia attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi resulting in the deaths of both United States Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and . Libyan newspaper The Tripoli Post noted that Libya's National Congress also condemned the attack, saying it "led to the regrettable injury and death . April 27, 2011 / 4:03 PM / CBS/AP. Kirkpatrick reported that Ansar al-Sharia said they were launching the assault in retaliation for the release of the anti-Islamic video, Innocence of Muslims. More than a thousand people died, many cities were shelled by artillery or hit by airstrikes, oil terminals were set alight and the economy continued to collapse. [78][76] A Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent viewed on the consulate's security cameras "a large number of men, armed men, flowing into the compound". 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