October 25, 201312 yr "We're here to kill Americans": Witness on Benghazi attack - CBS News "They said, 'We're here to kill Americans, not Libyans,' so they'd give them a good beating, pistol whip them, beat them with their rifles and let them go," Jones said. - Guards no allowed to carry guns. - Blame on a Youtube video. - On-station, overhead assets kept from counter-attacking. - Quick response teams ordered to stand down. No one ever held accountable.
October 25, 201312 yr Seems you can't read past a typo. Just a guess. Incorrect. I did read past the typo. I'm asking what he is referring to. Is he saying that embassy guards were instructed to/forbidden from having live weapons? That seems so unreasonable that I had to ask for clarification.
October 25, 201312 yr Incorrect. I did read past the typo. I'm asking what he is referring to. Is he saying that embassy guards were instructed to/forbidden from having live weapons? That seems so unreasonable that I had to ask for clarification. I hate to assume , but that's the what it seems to infer.
October 25, 201312 yr Author Incorrect. I did read past the typo. I'm asking what he is referring to. Is he saying that embassy guards were instructed to/forbidden from having live weapons? That seems so unreasonable that I had to ask for clarification. That is correct. 'Guards' were specifically prohibited from being armed - by the State Department. This is why they had to subcontract to a British firm. This has been known for a long time. But this was the first interview with the man in charge of 'training' these unarmed guards.
October 25, 201312 yr I hate to assume , but that's the what it seems to infer. Thus, the posed question.
October 25, 201312 yr That is correct. 'Guards' were specifically prohibited from being armed - by the State Department. This is why they had to subcontract to a British firm. This has been known for a long time. But this was the first interview with the man in charge of 'training' these unarmed guards. Cynic in says "no way that's true." Going to the google key to get educated.
October 25, 201312 yr Here's what I found. Here is a letter from the Marine Corps saying the reports are incorrect. Obviously, Mother Jones is a "lefty" sight, thus, the pejorative "wingnuts." Doesn't change the letter, though, from the USMC. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/egypt-embassy-marines-live-ammo#USMCmemo
October 25, 201312 yr Here's what I found. Here is a letter from the Marine Corps saying the reports are incorrect. Obviously, Mother Jones is a "lefty" sight, thus, the pejorative "wingnuts." Doesn't change the letter, though, from the USMC. Wingnuts Falsely Claim Obama Administration Forbade Marines From Carrying Live Ammo | Mother Jones From your link: Libya: -Contrary to open source reporting, there are no Marines currently stationed at the Embassy in Tripoli, or the Consulate in Benghazi. -There were no Marines killed in the attack on the Consulate in Benghazi. The points about Marines being armed in that story is for Marines in Eygpt, not Libya MotherJones seems to be doing a spin with the story...
October 25, 201312 yr The Letter does not address State Dept Security, just Marines who were not even in Benghazi.
October 25, 201312 yr Mother Jones puts up letter stating that Marines in Egypt were armed, while posting tweets about Benghazi...nice attempt to distract people from the Benghazi debacle.
October 25, 201312 yr Author Cynic in says "no way that's true." Going to the google key to get educated. Google "Blue Mountain Benghazi" This article is datelined October 14, 2012: British firm secured Benghazi consulate contract with little experience - Telegraph Abdulaziz Majbiri, a Blue Mountain guard at the compound, told the Daily Telegraph that they were effectively abandoned and incapable of defending themselves on the night of the attack. "We were in uniform, unarmed except for taser guns and handcuffs, and had been told in the case of attack to muster by the swimming pool," he said. "I was separated from the others and couldn't get anywhere near the swimming pool before I was shot." From September 18, 2012 (7 days after attack): State Dept Reverses Denial of Hiring British Security Firm in Benghazi Blue Mountain Group was chosen by State, in part, because it was willing to accept the State Department Rules of Engagement for Libya that prohibited security guards at Benghazi from carrying weapons that contained bullets. March 13, 2013 article: Lessons from Benghazi Attack and the Congress Hearings The compound was guarded by four unarmed members of the local guard group, the Blue Mountain Libya (BML); three armed members of the local militia, the February 17 Martyrs Brigade; and five U.S. diplomatic security (DS) officers. When the attack began, the February 17 Brigade members and the BML guards fled without raising the alarm. The DS officers, on the other hand, immediately raised the alarm, alerted the nearby CIA annex and the embassy in Tripoli, and went into action, trying to get the Ambassador and other personnel to safety. There is very little on the 'February 17 Brigade' 'guards' in most stories. Using a local 'militia' as guards seems very odd anyway. And it appears they were worthless if that really was the case. The 5 officers were apparently not armed and not charged with 'guarding' anything. They were just there. So the fact have been well known since almost the very beginning. They have been ignored, but they were published.
October 25, 201312 yr Libyan Gun Control Policies Left Guards Unarmed at U.S. Compound in Benghazi | CNS News For Benghazi diplomatic security, U.S. relied on small British firm | Reuters Security practices at the diplomatic compound, where Blue Mountain guards patrolled with flashlights and batons instead of guns, have come under U.S. government scrutiny in the wake of the September 11 attack in Benghazi that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
October 25, 201312 yr From your link: Libya: -Contrary to open source reporting, there are no Marines currently stationed at the Embassy in Tripoli, or the Consulate in Benghazi. -There were no Marines killed in the attack on the Consulate in Benghazi. The points about Marines being armed in that story is for Marines in Eygpt, not Libya MotherJones seems to be doing a spin with the story... My fault. Should have caught that.
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