Benghazi in the news again

[jarnon]

CNN reports that the CIA is tight-lipped about secret missions it may have been running at its Benghazi station before the September 2012 attack. Of course, that just encourages curiosity and speculation:
Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack

In related news, the Administration has nominated Gregory Starr to be Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. He has been acting in this position since February. Mr. Starr has a long, distinguished career in State Dept. security, except for 2009-2012 (including the crucial month of September 2012) when he was in change of UN security.

Mr. Starr will face his first big challenge on Sunday (Pres. Obama's birthday), when news reports say terrorists plan to attack U.S. facilities in the Middle East. I hope he's learned from his predecessors' mistakes.

[jarnon]

It's the story that refuses to go away.

60 Minutes interviewed Dylan Davies, a security contractor at the Benghazi consulate. The story he told on 60 Minutes, and in his book The Embassy House, was that he rushed to the compound that night, and had a confrontation with an attacker, whom he dispatched with a blow to the face with a rifle butt. The problem is, Davies told the FBI that he stayed home that night.

Accounts Differ to F.B.I. and CBS on Benghazi

You would think that after incidents over the years like the Hitler diary and Bush National Guard letter, 60 Minutes would be able to spot a fake.

[jarnon]

There have been many reports on the security lapses in Benghazi. Now the New York Times has published an extensive study of the State Department's foreign policy errors.

A Deadly Mix in Benghazi

The United States waded deeply into post-Qaddafi Libya, hoping to build a beachhead against extremists, especially Al Qaeda. It believed it could draw a bright line between friends and enemies in Libya. But it ultimately lost its ambassador in an attack that involved ... fighters belonging to militias that the Americans had taken for allies.

Unfortunately, it's just as hard to tell friends from enemies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, and especially Syria, where terrorists are fighting for and against the regime.

More generally, whenever we get involved in a foreign conflict, we end up paying a heavy price. In each case, we must decide when staying out becomes unbearable.

[SpacemanSpiff]

You would think that after incidents over the years like the Hitler diary and Bush National Guard letter, 60 Minutes would be able to spot a fake.

Doesn't matter if they can spot a fake or not. The publisher of the book and CBS have the same ownership group (as do many books that get stories on 60 Minutes), so I think the call comes from up the corporate ladder.

[flockofseagulls104]

Benghazi should never be out of the news until we get some specific answers from the administration.

My current favorite bumper sticker - "Hillary - 2016 - What difference does it make?".

[silverscreenselect]

Benghazi should never be out of the news until we get some specific answers from the administration.

Like the answers we got from the Bush administration about the WMD in Iraq?

[Bob Juch]

Benghazi should never be out of the news until we get some specific answers from the administration.

Like the answers we got from the Bush administration about the WMD in Iraq?

And the 13 embassy/consulate attacks during his term?

[Bob Juch]

Here are the 13:

January 22, 2002. Calcutta, India. Gunmen associated with Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami attack the U.S. Consulate. Five people are killed.

June 14, 2002. Karachi, Pakistan. Suicide bomber connected with al Qaeda attacks the U.S. Consulate, killing 12 and injuring 51.

October 12, 2002. Denpasar, Indonesia. U.S. diplomatic offices bombed as part of a string of "Bali Bombings." No fatalities.

February 28, 2003. Islamabad, Pakistan. Several gunmen fire upon the U.S. Embassy. Two people are killed.

May 12, 2003. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Armed al Qaeda terrorists storm the diplomatic compound, killing 36 people including nine Americans. The assailants committed suicide by detonating a truck bomb.

July 30, 2004. Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A suicide bomber from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan attacks the U.S. Embassy, killing two people.

December 6, 2004. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Al Qaeda terrorists storm the U.S. Consulate and occupy the perimeter wall. Nine people are killed.

March 2, 2006. Karachi, Pakistan again. Suicide bomber attacks the U.S. Consulate killing four people, including U.S. diplomat David Foy who was directly targeted by the attackers. (I wonder if Lindsey Graham or Fox News would even recognize the name "David Foy." This is the third Karachi terrorist attack in four years on what's considered American soil.)

September 12, 2006. Damascus, Syria. Four armed gunmen shouting "Allahu akbar" storm the U.S. Embassy using grenades, automatic weapons, a car bomb and a truck bomb. Four people are killed, 13 are wounded.

January 12, 2007. Athens, Greece. Members of a Greek terrorist group called the Revolutionary Struggle fire a rocket-propelled grenade at the U.S. Embassy. No fatalities.

March 18, 2008. Sana'a, Yemen. Members of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic Jihad of Yemen fire a mortar at the U.S. Embassy. The shot misses the embassy, but hits nearby school killing two.

July 9, 2008. Istanbul, Turkey. Four armed terrorists attack the U.S. Consulate. Six people are killed.

September 17, 2008. Sana'a, Yemen. Terrorists dressed as military officials attack the U.S. Embassy with an arsenal of weapons including RPGs and detonate two car bombs. Sixteen people are killed, including an American student and her husband (they had been married for three weeks when the attack occurred). This is the second attack on this embassy in seven months.

[jarnon]

The Washington Post has identified another of the attackers, a notorious Libyan terrorist:

Former Guantanamo detainee implicated in Benghazi attack

[jarnon]

A bipartisan Senate report agrees with previous critiques, that the State Department gave inadequate protection to its personnel and facilities in Libya, despite the dangers there.

Benghazi Attack Was Preventable, Senate Panel Says

[Bob Juch]

A bipartisan Senate report agrees with previous critiques, that the State Department gave inadequate protection to its personnel and facilities in Libya, despite the dangers there.

Benghazi Attack Was Preventable, Senate Panel Says

Yes, it could have been prevented if Ambassador Chris Stevens had not refused extra security twice.

[jarnon]

No, not the new House select committee, which will rehash the same arguments about the 2012 attack to get every bit of political advantage that they can out of it. The actual news is that militants attacked police headquarters last week, killing eight policemen and soldiers. Two of the soldiers were tortured. The militants belong to the same groups that were blamed for the 2012 attack, and have been terrorizing the good people of Benghazi ever since.

Libya blames Ansar al-Shariah for deadly Benghazi attack