Benghazi attack: Security was 'grossly inadequate'
An independent inquiry by the Accountability Review Board into the attack on the United States diplomatic mission in Libya that killed four Americans on Sept. 11 sharply criticized the State Department for a lack of seasoned security personnel and for relying on untested Libyan local militias to safeguard the compound.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Benghazi-attack...
The report identified the state department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Bureau of Near East Affairs for criticism over their apparent lack of cooperation and ensuing confusion with regards to protection, The New york Times reported.
"Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place," the panel concluded.
Despite "a lack of transparency, responsiveness, and leadership" among certain senior state department officials, the report found no "reasonable cause" that any specific individuals had "engaged in misconduct or wilfully ignored" their responsibilities.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has written to the Advisory Board confirming that she has directed the State Department to implement all of the 29 Accountability Review Board recommendations.
The affair is unlikely to rest there although the government would like to draw a line underthe incident. Hillary Clinton will have to testify to Congress after she has recovered from her illness andconcussion sustained when she fainted. The main administration casualty so far has been Susan Rice who withdrew her candidacy for the position of Secretary of State because of her intial description of the attack as a spontaneous demonstration as it was subsquently admitted by the administration to be a terrorist attack. The Republicans are unlikely to let it go at that and both President Obama and Hilary Clinton will probably be answering questions on what happened in Benghazi on11 September for sometime to come.
The promise to bring to justice those responsible forthe attack has still to be fulfiled. TheLibyan government was criticised for its failures of security during tha attack and the Board specified that US diplomatic missions should be guarded by US Marines and security in the future.
"Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place," the panel concluded.
Despite "a lack of transparency, responsiveness, and leadership" among certain senior state department officials, the report found no "reasonable cause" that any specific individuals had "engaged in misconduct or wilfully ignored" their responsibilities.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has written to the Advisory Board confirming that she has directed the State Department to implement all of the 29 Accountability Review Board recommendations.
The affair is unlikely to rest there although the government would like to draw a line underthe incident. Hillary Clinton will have to testify to Congress after she has recovered from her illness andconcussion sustained when she fainted. The main administration casualty so far has been Susan Rice who withdrew her candidacy for the position of Secretary of State because of her intial description of the attack as a spontaneous demonstration as it was subsquently admitted by the administration to be a terrorist attack. The Republicans are unlikely to let it go at that and both President Obama and Hilary Clinton will probably be answering questions on what happened in Benghazi on11 September for sometime to come.
The promise to bring to justice those responsible forthe attack has still to be fulfiled. TheLibyan government was criticised for its failures of security during tha attack and the Board specified that US diplomatic missions should be guarded by US Marines and security in the future.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Benghazi-attack...