As the 2012 U.S. presidential election loomed, outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assumed responsibility for the bureaucratic failures as head of the Department of State and implemented all 29 institutional reforms recommended by the department’s Accountability Review Board. We know that is patently false. How many Libyans were killed in the Benghazi attack? When Johnson pressed her to explain why, in the immediate aftermath, no one from the State Department had asked American evacuees if there had been a protest before the attack, Clinton replied: With all due respect, the fact is, we had four dead Americans! [218] Spain authorized the basing of the quick response force at Morón Air Base near Seville, for a temporary one-year term. how many died at Benghazi? [132] Ali Harzi was released by Tunisian authorities on January 8, 2013 because of a lack of evidence. [168][169] It was announced that the FBI would investigate the possibility of the attack being planned. ", "White House told of militant claim two hours after Libya attack: emails", "E-Mails Offer Glimpse at What U.S. [29], Eastern Libya and Benghazi were key intelligence-gathering hubs for intelligence operatives. On December 15, it was reported that she had become dehydrated from the flu, fainted, and sustained a concussion. [citation needed] The British Foreign Office withdrew all consular staff from Benghazi in late June 2012. [237] However, the 2014 final report by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee found that during the days immediately following the attack there was confusion among intelligence analysts as to the origin of the attack, leading to an initial assessment that it was the spontaneous outcome from a protest. It is—I mean, I think the DNI spokesman was very declarative about this that the report is false. A freelance videographer, Fahd al-Bakoush, later published a video[91][92] showing Libyans trying to extract the ambassador from a smoke-filled room,[93][94] where he was found unconscious. [83], However, through September 14, CIA analysts made a contradictory assessment, stating "We believe based on currently available information that the attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. Susan Candiotti and Tim Lister, "Sources: Benghazi suspect detained in Libya", Bill Gertz, "Benghazi attack suspect walks: Libyans release key player in consulate ambush", "Statement regarding the events at US Consulate in Benghazi", "15 Photos Of Libyans Apologizing To Americans", "Struggle for Ideological Upper Hand in Muslim World Seen as Factor in Attacks", "Did Ansar al-Sharia carry out Libya attack? In her remarks Clinton said, "One young woman, her head covered and her eyes haunted with sadness, held up a handwritten sign that said 'Thugs and killers don't represent Benghazi nor Islam.' Multiple conservative media outlets, most notably Fox News, promulgated an elaborate narrative of a scandal and cover-up by officials of the Obama administration, including, among other things, accusations that officials issued a "stand-down order" to preclude a military rescue operation; that officials knowingly lied by repeatedly asserting the attack was spontaneously triggered by the Innocence of Muslims video rather than a pre-planned terrorist attack; that a secret CIA gun-running operation to Syrian rebels was being conducted out of Libya; that President Obama and Hillary Clinton were absent and negligent on the night of the attack; that Hillary Clinton had personally declined multiple requests for more security at the compound; that a live video feed of the attack was viewed at the White House or State Department; that Ambassador Stevens had been captured by terrorists and dragged through the streets; and that witnesses had been prevented from testifying. 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. [232], On December 10, 2014, upon publication of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report on Benghazi,[233] 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. I think it's clear that there were extremist elements that joined in and escalated the violence. Information from Encyclopaedia Britannica senior Obama administration officials had informed Defense Secretary Panetta... Avoidable tragedy, in front of the world – said V.Cherchill six elite. 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