how many libyans died in benghazihow many libyans died in benghazi

Freedom of Information Act requests have been made since the attack. Ambassador Chris Stevens, 52, died as he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff as a crowd of hundreds attacked the consulate Tuesday evening, many of them firing machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The defenders agreed to evacuate to the airport and were attacked with small arms fire along the route. When the State Department failed to respond to the request by February 4, 2013, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit, which resulted in seven photographs being delivered on June 6, 2013. It remains unclear if any group or person exercised overall command and control of the attack, and if extremist group leaders directed their members to participate. Four Americans died in the attack: Ambassador Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, [1] and two CIA operatives, [2] Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, [3] [4] both former Navy SEALs. So the president went on various shows, despite what he said in the Rose Garden, about terrorist acts, he went on several programs, including The View, including Letterman, including before the UN where he continued to refer, days later, many days later, to this as a spontaneous demonstration because of a hateful video. We saw one of our 'police' that guard the compound taking pictures. The insecurity has also forced the closure of courts and prosecutors' offices in Benghazi and Derna. Two British protection officers were injured in the attack when their convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade 300 meters from their consulate office. The Pentagon ordered an unmanned aerial vehicle that was in the air conducting surveillance on militant camps to fly over Benghazi. Share this via Telegram [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. He drove away in a police car and a complaint was made to the Libyan police station. [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". [7] "[214], On October 19, 2012, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) came under fire from intelligence officials in the Obama administration when he posted, on a public website, 166 pages of sensitive but unclassified State Department communications related to Libya. None of that is true, according to the House Intelligence Committee report. During Congressional hearings, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens' top deputy in Libya, Gregory N. Hicks, testified that Ambassador Stevens was in Benghazi in 2012 because "Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton wanted the post made permanent", and it was understood that the secretary hoped to make an announcement to that effect during a visit to Tripoli later in the year. Chris Hondros. It also reaffirmed "the depth of relationship between the peoples of Libya and the U.S., which grew closer with the positions taken by the U.S. government in support of the revolution of February 17". [119][120][121] CNN,[119] the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,[122] Commentary Magazine[121] and The Daily Telegraph[120] have listed this group as a chief suspect. "[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. Other ways to share No casualties were reported. This nostalgic thinking is not unique, and could derail Libya's progress. On Sept. 11, 2012, heavily armed Islamist militants launched an organized attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, setting fire to buildings before all U.S . The operation began in Benghazi and has spread to Tripoli and elsewhere. "[156] Another poll in Eastern Libya, taken in 2011, reported that the population was at the same time both deeply religious conservative Muslims and very pro-American, with 90% of respondents reporting favorable views of the United States. In my three years in Libya, this is one of my most depressing duties. Also on September 20, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a classified briefing to U.S. Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, located in the northern part of the country. [18][19][20][21] Four career State Department officials were criticized for denying requests for additional security at the facility prior to the attack. Main article: 2012 Benghazi attack. [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". The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University described the conclusions of an unpublished study on November 2, 2012. [141] He received financing from the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, petitioned Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to establish a new Al-Qaeda affiliate he called al-Qaeda in Egypt,[140][141] and was subsequently detained by Egyptian authorities in December 2012. An acknowledgement of the request was received by Judicial Watch on January 4, 2013. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton called the concussion a "diplomatic illness".[220]. Now you're saying dozens of Americans are dead and yet there's zero . [224], On May 13, 2013, President Obama stated during a news conference, "The day after it happened, I acknowledged that this was an act of terrorism." In addition, the National Transitional Council estimated 50,000 wounded. [8], The Brigades of the Imprisoned Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, a pro-al-Qaeda militia calling for the release of The Blind Sheikh, was implicated in the attack by Noman Benotman of the Quilliam Foundation. [96] They were unaware of his identity, and Abdel-Qader Fadl, a freelance photographer who was with them, told the Associated Press that Stevens was unconscious and "maybe moved his head, but only once". The interview was cut short and Ricks and the interview was not mentioned or covered by Fox News again. [80][81], Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent Scott Wickland secured Stevens and Sean Smith, an information management officer, in the main building's safe haven. [176], Secretary of State Clinton also made a statement on September 12, describing the perpetrators as "heavily armed militants" and "a small and savage groupnot the people or government of Libya". Without a functioning legal system, the house of cards that is the Libyan state will collapse. Though they took him to be a foreigner, no one recognized him as Stevens. By this time, communicators at the CIA annex were notifying the chain of command about current developments, and a small CIA and JSOC element in Tripoli that included Glen Doherty was attempting to find a way to Benghazi. Share this via LinkedIn 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? [221], In March 2013, Representative Duncan D. Hunter introduced legislation into the 113th Congress to authorize awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to Doherty and Woods for their actions that led to their deaths. [69] The first assault occurred at the main diplomatic compound, approximately 300 yards (270m) long and 100 yards (91m) wide, at about 9:40p.m. local time (3:40p.m. Eastern Time). The National also reported arms being hoarded in Misrata, despite simultaneous reporting by other outlets that militias were surrendering in Misrata.[171]. [137] Ali Harzi was released by Tunisian authorities on January 8, 2013, because of a lack of evidence. The Coptic Church has grown in recent years in Libya, due to the growing immigration of Egyptian Copts to Libya. His credibility was reduced,' Hicks said, adding that the president was apparently 'still steamed' two weeks later. At least 75 people were killed in militia clashes in Benghazi on May 16 and 17, and 140 were injured. [132] "[204], On September 26, Clinton acknowledged a possible link between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Benghazi attack.[205]. After the first five Republican investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing by senior Obama administration officials, Republicans in 2014 opened a sixth investigation, the House Select Committee on Benghazi, chaired by Trey Gowdy. [259] No further public investigations have been conducted since. "[214] In the article, Kessler accused Obama of "revisionist history" for stating he had called the attack an "act of terrorism" when in fact he had used the term "act of terror", observing that Obama had gone out of his way to avoid calling the incident an "act of terrorism" or blame the ambassador's death on terrorism.[214][225]. [81] The attackers entered the main building and attempted to enter the safe haven. Ultimately, none of the accusations of scandal and cover-up were confirmed by any of the ten Benghazi investigations, including six investigations conducted by Republican-controlled congressional committees. 3. Stevens was visiting Benghazi at the time to review plans to establish a new cultural center and modernize a hospital. But you know, to be clear, it is, from my perspective, less important today looking backwards as to why these militants decided they did it than to find them and bring them to justice, and then maybe we'll figure out what was going on in the meantime. Join our movement today. Ever since Qaddafi's fall, Libya's government has failed to afford its citizens the protections and security they deserve. And make no mistake, justice will be done. [266], According to The Wall Street Journal, the e-mail was written to prepare U.S. With a lull in the fighting, Doherty began searching for his friend, Tyrone S. Woods, and he was told he was on the roof. Timeline of 9/11 Consulate Attack As It Unfolds. 1,627. 4 Americans died in Libya and everyone on earth knew the name "Benghazi". [102] There he was administered CPR for 90 minutes by Dr. Ziad Abu Zeid. This claim was disputed by Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post in a "Fact Checker" article, which explored at length the difference in meaning between the phrases "act of terror" and "act of terrorism. By 2:30 a.m., nearly five hours after the assault had begun, Libyan security forces helped to regain control of the site. [129][130], However, this assessment contradicted the assessment of CIA analysts, which through September 16 maintained that "the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo," at which violent protesters had scaled the embassy walls. The organization recorded 471 deaths . [67] In her January 2013 testimony before Congress, Secretary Clinton claimed security decisions at the Benghazi compound had been made by others, stating, "The specific security requests pertaining to Benghazi were handled by the security professionals in the [State] Department. An error occurred while subscribing your email address. [17], On September 23, taking advantage of the growing momentum and rising anger against the militias evinced in the earlier anti-militia demonstrations,[165] the Libyan president declared that all unauthorized militias had 48 hours to either disband or come under government control. [114] On September 14, 2012, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a statement arguing the attack was revenge for the death of al-Libi, though they did not claim official responsibility for the Benghazi attack. Federal Bureau of Investigation. But it was intelligence analysts, not political appointees, who made the wrong call, the committee found. [8][9], There is no definitive evidence that al-Qaeda or any other international terrorist organization participated in the Benghazi attack. At 5:41p.m. The survivors later find out that Chris Stevens was found alive by local libyans and was taken to the hospital by local libyans, where he was pronounced dead. The wreckage of a car sits inside the US Embassy compound on September 12, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya,. By 10:05p.m., the team was briefed and loaded into their armored Toyota Land Cruisers. [148] Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf, the President of the General National Congress of Libya, said: "We apologize to the U.S., to the American people and to the government and also to the rest of the world for what happened yesterday. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice for her appearances on Sunday news shows two days later, and it "sets out the Administration's view of the cause of the Benghazi attacks". The report did not conclude that Rice or any other government official acted in bad faith or intentionally misled the American people. 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. Anybody who tells you that what happened to our ambassador and our consulate in Libya was as a result of a protest over an offensive movie, you should ask them why they think that. Diplomatic security agent David Ubben located Smith,[85] who was unconscious and later declared dead, but the team was unable to find Stevens in the smoke-filled building. It's approximately 120 square miles and has a population of about 632,000 people. From top to bottom, left to right: President, Vice President updated on situation night of September 11, 2012; President Obama, with Secretary Clinton, delivering statement in the Rose Garden, September 12, 2012; two photographs released through a FOIA request; Secretary Clinton testifying before the Senate Committee on January 23, 2013; portion of "wanted" poster seeking information on the attack. He stated that he would have responded with equal caution given the risks and the lack of intelligence on the ground, and that American forces require planning and preparation, which the circumstances did not allow for. So goes one of the grim scenes recreated in Michael Bay's new film 13 Hours, which tells the story of the attack that shattered the West's hopes for post-Gaddafi Libya, and sparked another toxic . [176] U.S. officials said surveillance over Libya would increase, including the use of unmanned drones, to "hunt for the attackers". [41] After the end of the war, both the CIA and the United States' State Department were tasked with continuing to identify and collect arms that had flooded the country during the war, particularly shoulder-fired missiles taken from the arsenal of the Gaddafi regime,[42][43] as well as securing Libyan chemical weapons stockpiles, and helping to train Libya's new intelligence service. [31][32][33][34][35] He also stated that "Chris [Stevens] wanted to make a symbolic gesture to the people of Benghazi that the United States stood behind their dream of establishing a new democracy. Total figures of victims are hard to come by under the current situation of lawlessness. At the time, AFRICOM, which is responsible for operations in Africa, was the only combatant command which did not have its own CIF team thus having to request EUCOM's assistance. "[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. It was a planned attack, not a protest. Senators,[199] which several Republican attendees criticized. [103] According to Dr. Zeid, Stevens died from asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation, and had no other apparent injuries. By the end of 2012, Eric J. Boswell, the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, resigned under pressure, while three others were suspended. Around 300 American, British, Polish & Ukrainian high-rank officers, inc. many NATO generals & colonels were killed 1/9. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent. Some have also voiced concerns that inaction by authorities means acquiescence. A possible political motive for the investigation was revealed on September 29, 2015, when Republican House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, then vying to become Speaker of the House, told Sean Hannity on Fox News that the investigation was part of a "strategy to fight and win,' adding "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? ", "Deadly embassy attacks were days in the making", "Muslim Brotherhood Fox Was Hired To Protect Our Benghazi Consulate Henhouse Interview", "The Benghazi Timeline, Clinton Edition - FactCheck.org", "Clinton: Facebook post about Benghazi attack not hard", "Clinton: Facebook post about Benghazi attack not hard "evidence", "Ansar al Shariah issues statement on US Consulate assault in Libya | FDD's Long War Journal", "Egyptians angry at film scale U.S. embassy walls", "Ansar al Shariah issues statement on US Consulate assault in Libya - FDD's Long War Journal", Elise Labott, "Report on Benghazi attack cites 'systemic failures'", "Obama: U.S. consulate attack in Libya not an act of war", "Remarks by the President at Univision Town Hall with Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas", "Spread of Protests Sparked by Anti-Muslim Video", "Benghazi attack suspect arrested in Tunisia; AP reports 2nd suspect killed in Egypt", "Benghazi suspect Ali Harzi released by Tunisia for lack of evidence, lawyer says", "Egypt identifies Benghazi attack suspect killed in Cairo", Thomas Joscelyn, "Video reportedly shows key suspect from Benghazi attack", Sioban Gorman, "Egyptians Detain Suspected Terrorist Ringleader", "Terrorist Designations of the Muhammad Jamal Network and Muhammad Jamal", "Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities", Paul Cruickshank. 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