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Showing posts with label Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Show all posts
Bodies of 4 Americans killed in Libya returned to the U.S.
The
bodies of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three
other Americans killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi
were returned to the United States on Friday in a ceremony at which
President Obama declared that the United States “will never retreat from
the world.”
U.S. Marines carry a casket during
a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland transferring the remains
of the four Americans killed in an attack this week in Benghazi, Libya.
Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
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Their deaths, far from home, had become a flash point of politics in
Washington, grist in the ongoing election-year debate about President
Obama’s leadership at a time of uncertainty abroad. Yet on Friday
afternoon, the bodies of the four Americans who perished in Libya
arrived back on U.S. soil, and for a moment these men could be
remembered for who they were in life, not what they had become in death.
Their coffins, each draped in an American flag, arrived at Andrews
Air Force Base aboard a gray military aircraft and were carried down the
ramp by seven Marines in dress blue uniforms. Ambassador J. Christopher
Stevens and three State Department employees — Sean Smith, an
information management officer, and security personnel Glen Doherty and
Tyrone Woods — were killed Tuesday when militants overran the U.S.
Consulate in Benghazi.
Now, the men, as Obama would say during the
formal Transfer of Remains ceremony, had come “home.” The coffins were
placed in front of four black hearses inside a vast hangar, a giant flag
hanging from the rafters. After a benediction was read, Obama and
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, dressed in dark colors, took
turns putting a face on the fallen before dozens of family, friends and
State Department employees.
“Four Americans, four patriots,” said
Obama, who had met privately with family members. “They had a mission,
and they believed in it. They knew the danger, and they accepted it.
They didn’t simply embrace the American ideal, they lived it, they
embodied it: the courage, the hope and, yes, the idealism. That
fundamental American belief that we can leave this world a little better
than before.”
Welcoming home the remains of the dead is a grim
duty for a president. And it is one that Obama has done several times
for troops from Afghanistan. But it was never like this — in the middle
of an election, in a fight for his political life.
Here they were:
There was Smith, the technology wizard who Clinton said was mourned as
widely by “gamers” online as he was in the halls of federal Washington.
There was Doherty, known as “Bub,” and Woods, known as “ ’Rone,” both
former Navy SEALs who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before
protecting America’s diplomats.
And there was Stevens, 52, who had
worked closely with the Libyan people during their overthrow of
strongman Moammar Gaddafi last year, then stayed on to help the new
government rebuild. He became the first U.S. ambassador killed in the
line of duty since 1979, but Clinton wanted her listeners to remember a
man who was beloved not just by his co-workers but by the citizens of
the foreign countries in which he served.
She told the audience
that she had received a letter this week from the president of the
Palestinian Authority, who had worked closely with Stevens in Jerusalem
and remembered his “energy and integrity.”
“What a wonderful gift
you gave us,” Clinton said, addressing Stevens’s family. The statesman
was known “not only for his courage but for his smile — goofy but
contagious. For his sense of fun, and that California cool.”
The
mood was solemn and dignified. An Air Force band played “The
Star-Spangled Banner,” and Obama put his left arm around Clinton briefly
as they returned to their front-row seats next to Vice President Biden
and other dignitaries. The coffins were moved into the hearses as the
band played “America the Beautiful.”
It was a scene far removed
from the chaos and violence of the streets in Benghazi and the noisy,
discourteous debate on the presidential campaign trail, where the latest
turn of the Arab Spring demonstrations had suddenly become Topic A.
In
the wake of the deaths, Republican nominee Mitt Romney blasted Obama’s
foreign policy and what Romney said was the administration’s eagerness,
before denouncing the attack on Americans, to apologize for an
anti-Muslim film that was blamed for sparking anger across the Middle
East. Obama and his allies, along with some GOP leaders, quickly
condemned Romney for politicizing the tragedy and inaccurately
characterizing the White House’s response.
On Friday, Romney,
campaigning in Painesville, Ohio, paused to lead a moment of silence for
the slain Americans and delayed his stump speech until the ceremony at
Andrews had concluded. He instructed his supporters to place their hands
over their hearts “in recognition of the blood shed for freedom.”
Even
amid the show of respect, however, politics loomed: Were the deaths
related directly to fallout from the White House’s handling of the Arab
unrest, a miscalculation of the anti-American anger still simmering in a
part of the world shunted aside during a presidential campaign centered
on domestic concerns?
That question will continue to be asked.
But on Friday, Obama and Clinton used the memories of Stevens and his
colleagues to reaffirm America’s commitment to lead, even in troubled
times.
Obama recalled the image of a man in Benghazi holding a sign that read in English: “Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans.”
“That’s
the message these four patriots sent,” Obama said. “That even as the
voices of suspicion and mistrust seek to divide countries and cultures
from one another, the United States of America will never retreat from
the world.”
The Marines closed the rear doors of the hearses and
saluted as the vehicles rolled out of the hangar to a plane that would
carry the remains to another military base in Dover, Del.
The journey for the four men was almost over. The debate over their deaths has only begun.
Philip Rucker in Painesville, Ohio, and William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/obama-to-attend-ceremony-marking-return-of-bodies-of-us-personnel-killed-in-libya/2012/09/14/5a62e16c-fe8b-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_print.html
This is a blog feed via HuffPost with a lot of good information on multiple stories taking shape in the Islamic world. Contributors include the AP, CNN, BBC, Reuters, AFP, The Nation, al Jazeera and others. We also learn the identity of the other two Americans killed in the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. They are Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. Pray for their families and friends....
DUBAI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Mohammed
Magarief apologised to the United States on Wednesday over an attack on
its consulate in Benghazi in which the ambassador and three other
staff members were killed.
"We apologise to the
United States, the people and to the whole world for what happened,"
Magarief, president of Libya's national assembly, told a news
conference broadcast live on Al Jazeera television.
Mark Divine, head of the fitness company SEALFIT where former SEAL Glen Doherty worked, issued a statement:
"In light of the recent attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya and
the death of former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, all SEALFIT staff, members
and friends give their utmost respect and condolences to the Doherty
family.
We have the deepest respect for everything Doherty did for
America and while overseas to further our overseas foreign policy. He
was a great Coach and Mentor to many, including our SEALFIT family.
In regard to the Doherty family, at this time we are refraining
from further comment or involvement in any media relative to this
situation.
Thank you for your understanding."
-- Andrea Stone
In the wake of the attacks
on U.S. offices in Egypt and Libya, a bizarre twitter spat has erupted
between the U.S. embassy in Cairo and the twitter page of the Muslim
Brotherhood, Ikhwanweb.
The Associated Press reports:
The embassy's tweets implied that the
Brotherhood, whose longtime member Mohammed Morsi is Egypt's new
president, has been sending mixed messages, fueling public anger over
the movie.
It started when Ikhwanweb, the Twitter page of the Muslim
Brotherhood, retweeted a message in English from the group's deputy
head, Khairat el-Shater.
@ Ikhwanweb :
.@khairatAlshater:We r relieved none of @USEmbassyCairo staff were harmed & hope US-Eg relations will sustain turbulence of Tuesday's events
And this followed:
@ USEmbassyCairo :
.@ikhwanweb Thanks. By the way, have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too.
@ Ikhwanweb :
.@usembassycairo we understand you're under a lot of stress, but it will be more helpful if you point out exactly the Arabic feed of concern
Fox News and the San Diego Union Tribune are reporting that another Navy SEAL is among those killed in the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
According to Fox, a "source" confirmed Thursday that one of the victims was Tyrone Woods, a former SEAL.
The Union Tribune reported that two of the four
Americans killed -- Woods, and Glen Doherty -- have been identified
Thursday as former SEALs from San Diego County. The article quotes
Patricia Ann So, identified as Woods' wife.
From the Tribune:
Woods was a SEAL for 20 years and had two sons, ages 15 and 18, said his former wife, Patricia Ann So.
She described him as talented, highly skilled and dedicated to
the SEALS. “He was balls to the wall,” So said. “He loved life, loved
adrenalin.”
He went through Hell Week, the grueling 5½ day SEAL training course, twice, she said.
“You could not find a more skilled SEAL than him,” So said.
CNN International's
Christiane Amanpour speaks with the newly elected Libyan prime minister
about arrests of Libyans in connection with protests at the U.S.
consulate in Benghazi.
Christiane Amanpour tweets
that the Libyan prime minister said at least one Libyan has been
arrested in connection with the attack on the U.S. Consulate in
Benghazi.
@ camanpour :
VIDEO: Libya’s prime minister tell me at least one Libyan has been arrested in killings of Americans in #Libya http://t.co/F4UWdfJp
The Associated Press takes a look at the American victims of the attack in Benghazi:
—Chris Stevens: The career diplomat spoke Arabic
and French and had served two tours in Libya, including running the
office in Benghazi during the revolt against Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi. He also brokered tribal disputes and conducted U.S. outreach
efforts in Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus and Riyadh. Stevens is survived by
his parents and sister, Ann. He is the sixth U.S. ambassador to be
killed on duty.
—Sean Smith: An Air Force veteran who worked as an information
management specialist for the State Department for 10 years in posts
including Brussels, Baghdad and Pretoria. He is survived by his wife,
Heather and two children, Samantha and Nathan.
—Glen Doherty: A former Navy SEAL who worked for a private
security firm and was protecting the consulate in Benghazi. A trained
pilot, Doherty co-authored a book about the modern challenges of being a
military sniper.
Doherty and one other American killed have not yet been identified by the State Department.
Following the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in an attack on Tuesday, a New York Times report brings into question the security at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
"[A] Libyan politician who had breakfast with Mr.
Stevens at the mission the morning before he was killed described
security, mainly four video cameras and as few as four Libyan guards, as
sorely inadequate for an American ambassador in such a tumultuous
environment. “This country is still in transition, and everybody knows
the extremists are out there,” said Fathi Baja, the Libyan politician."
Time reported
more of the politician's comments to Stevens: "I told him the security
was not enough. Chris, this is a U.S. consulate. You have to add to the
number of people, bring Americans here to guard it, because the Libyans
are not trained.”
Despite working in dangerous places, Stevens reportedly rebuffed excessive security restrictions. Obama has since ordered U.S. embassies worldwide to increase their security arrangements.
-- Clare Richardson
WASHINGTON -- With
expectations rising that the Obama administration might order a
retaliatory strike against the Islamist extremists who attacked and
killed four Americans in Libya Tuesday, the U.S. military is taking a
decidedly cool stand, at least in public.
As previously reported, a 50-man Marine Corps Fleet
Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) element was deployed Wednesday to
Libya, Pentagon spokesman George Little confirmed. In addition,
"sufficient numbers" of Marines have been sent into the region to
reinforce embassy security, he said.
But Little declined to detail U.S. movements in the Mediterranean
or to confirm that two destroyers had been sent into the region. The
United States maintains a fleet of warships in the Mediterranean, but
Little said none have been assigned any specific mission related to the
Libya attack.
In a Pentagon briefing, Little declined to say whether additional
military assets were being moved into the region. He also declined to
say whether the FAST detachment had been sent to Benghazi, where the
U.S. consulate was overrun Tuesday and U.S. Ambassador Christopher
Stevens and three other Americans were killed. No Marines had been
assigned to protect the consulate in Benghazi despite the known presence
of al Qaeda-linked groups there, he confirmed.
U.S. Marines are protecting the American embassy in Sana, Yemen,
which was stormed by mobs that tore down and burned the American flag
during a pitched battle Thursday. Little said he could not say what part
the U.S. Marine security detail at the embassy played in repelling the
attackers.
Little said the Defense Department continues to have strong
bilateral relationships with the governments of Libya and Egypt, where
anti-U.S. protest continued for the third day.
-- David Wood
The Guardian's Chris Stephens reports from the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi:
Inside, he showed the result of the fighting. A
projectile, possibly a rocket-propelled grenade, had clipped the outside
wall and smashed into the main building, blowing out a chunk of
masonry. Immediately below it, flecks of brownish blood were spattered
on the garden wall, where the fourth American was killed.
The Huffington Post reports on Chris Stevens' law school and college roommate remembering the Libyan ambassador:
University of California Hastings College of the Law is mourning their alumnus, Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens, who died from "severe asphyxiation" when gunmen and others set fire to the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. Stevens was 52 years old.
Former professors and colleagues remember a "bright" student who always wanted to join the Foreign Service.
"This is a tragedy. We mourn this loss." the dean of the law school, Frank H. Wu, said in a statement.
Austin Tichenor, his college roommate at UC Berkeley, told the Reporter "He was one of the smartest men I knew, and one of the least judgmental."
"He could always see the other guy's point of view. It's what made him such a perfect diplomat."
Read the full story here.
Glen Doherty, the security
officer who was one four Americans killed in Tuesday's attack on the
U.S. consulate in Benghazi, was an active member of an advocacy group
that guards the wall of separation between religion and the military.
"He confirmed for me how deeply entrenched fundamentalist
Christianity is in the DoD Spec Ops [Department of Defense Special
Operations] world of the SEALs, Green Berets, Delta Force, Army Rangers
USAF ... and DoD security contractors like the former Blackwater," said
Mikey Weinstein, a retired Air Force lawyer and founder of the Military
Religious Freedom Foundation.
Doherty was on the group's advisory board and had a history of
opposing religious intolerance of the kind dramatized in an anti-Islam
Internet video that has sparked demonstrations across the Middle East.
According to reports, the video may have given cover to the
demonstrations that brought an end to his life.
Read more here.
-- Andrea Stone
The New York Times profiles U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens:
The thing that struck me was that he had a level
of candor that was unusual for a diplomat,” said Sidney Kwiram, who
conducted research for Human Rights Watch in Libya during the revolution
and afterward and often met with him. She last spoke with him two weeks
ago after her own visit to Benghazi, spending two hours on the
telephone discussing Libya’s new political forces. “There was no
formality to his rank,” she said. “He didn’t take himself too seriously,
but he took his job very seriously.
A senior security official says the attack that killed
four Americans in Libya, including the U.S. ambassador, was an organized
two-part operation by heavily armed militants that included
a precisely timed raid on a supposedly secret safe house just as
Libyan and U.S. security forces were arriving to rescue evacuated
consulate staff.
Wanis al-Sharef, eastern Libya's deputy interior minister, said
on Thursday the attacks were suspected to have been timed to mark the
9/11 anniversary and that the militants used civilians protesting an
anti-Islam film as cover for their action.
A Shiite militant group threatened U.S. interests
in Iraq on Thursday as part of the backlash over an anti-Islam film it
described as "heinous."
Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali said
the amateurish video that ridicules Prophet Muhammad was unforgiveable. A
statement by the militia called on all Muslims to "face our joint
enemy."
Glen Doherty was 42 years old and was working for
a private security company when he was killed with US Ambassador John
Christopher Stevens in the American consulate in Benghazi Wednesday
during what may have been a coordinated terrorist attack.
“He was on security detail and he was protecting the
ambassador and also helping the wounded’’ when he was killed, said his
sister, Katie Quigley of Marblehead.
Quigley said her family grew up in Winchester and that her brother
wanted a life “filled with adrenaline… He was always an adventure
seeker.’’
President Barack Obama made additional comments on the events in the Middle East during a Wednesday sit-down interview with Telemundo, which will air on the channel Thursday evening.
"The United States doesn't have an option of withdrawing from the
world," he said. "We're the one indispensable nation, countries all
around the world look to us for leadership, even sometimes countries
where sometimes we experience protest. So it's important for us to stay
engaged."
Obama emphasized the need to fully investigate before coming to a
conclusion about the acts against American personnel, which Libyan
leaders condemned on Wednesday.
"Libya in particular is a government that is very friendly
towards us," Obama said. "The vast majority of Libyans welcomed the
United States involvement. ... Many Libyans came to the defense of our
team in Benghazi when they were attacked, but what we have to do now is
do a full investigation, find out the facts, find out who perpetrated
these terrible acts and bring them to justice."
-- Elise Foley
Several hundred Shiites protested Thursday against the anti-Islam movie in Sadr City, a Shiite stronghold in Baghdad, according to the Associated Press.
Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn the U.S. flag
during a demonstration as part of widespread anger across the Muslim
world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, in Baghdad,
Iraq, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. Hundreds of followers of the
anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr demanded the closure of the
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad because of the film. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
The U.S. consulate in Berlin was evacuated on Thursday after an employee noticed a strange smell from an envelope.
The Associated Press reports:
The smell came from an envelope containing
supporting materials for a visa application that was given to consular
employees by the applicant in person, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Ruth
Bennett said.
Police experts checked the building to see if any chemical
substances or poisonous gases had been released but nothing was found,
police spokesman Michael Merkle told n-tv television.
Bennett said she had no immediate information on the status of
the person who brought the envelope in, and Merkle would not comment,
citing the ongoing investigation.
Workers in protective clothing sit in the courtyard of the
U.S. consulate in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. The U.S. Embassy
says its consulate in Berlin has been evacuated as a precaution after an
employee reported a strange smell from an envelope. (AP Photo/Markus
Schreiber)
The Associated Press reports
that three diplomats injured in the attacks on the U.S. consulate in
Benghazi are being treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, an
American military hospital in Germany. According to a State Department
status report, all three "are doing relatively well".
Read the full story here.
Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton spoke out Thursday against the anti-Islam film that has
triggered protests in the Middle East, calling it "disgusting and reprehensible."
She also mounted a strong defense of free speech. "'We do not
stop individuals from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful
they may be," she said.
However, Clinton warned that there "should be no debate about the
simple proposition that violence in response to speech is not
acceptable."
"We must draw the line at violence," she said. "Any responsible leader should be standing up now and drawing that line."
-- Melissa Jeltsen
Iranian police officers stand guard in front
of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran,
during a demonstration against a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet
Muhammad. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
President Barack Obama
called Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Mohamed Magariaf, president
of the General National Congress of Libya, early Thursday to discuss the
recent protests and violence in their countries in response to an
anti-Muslim film.
Both calls took place just before 2:00 a.m., according to the time stamp on the White House readouts of the calls.
Obama's conversation with Magariaf appeared more conciliatory
than anything else. The president thanked Magariaf for his cooperation
following the deaths of four U.S. officials, including Ambassador Chris
Stevens, during Tuesday's violence in Benghazi. He told Magariaf that
"we must work together to do whatever is necessary to identify the
perpetrators of this attack and bring them to justice." Magariaf
concurred and agreed to help with the investigation.
The tone of the call to Morsi seemed more tense. The White House
readout says Obama called Morsi to "review the strategic partnership"
between the U.S. and Egypt. While nobody was killed in Cairo amid the
protests, the halfhearted response by the Egyptian government has been
noted by U.S. officials.
To Morsi, Obama "underscored the importance of Egypt following
through on its commitment to cooperate with the United States in
securing U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel," the White House
readout states.
Obama went on to say that while he rejects any efforts to
denigrate Islam, there is never justification for violence against
people, including American personnel stationed in Egypt. Morsi responded
by saying that Egypt "would honor its obligation to ensure the safety
of American personnel."
Both Libya and Egypt are struggling to stand up democratically
run governments that arose from the Arab Spring. The direction of the
Morsi's new Islamist government has been a cause for concern among U.S. officials.
-- Jennifer Bendery
AFP reports that governments across Asia have beefed up security following protests at U.S. offices in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen.
In Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the
world, authorities reportedly are trying to block public access to the
anti-Islam film.
Philippine policemen stay beside a machine gun as they secure an area
in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, on Thursday Sept.
13, 2012. Manila police tightened security in the area following an
attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in
Libya. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Click here to read more.
The Honorable Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, President of the
Republic of Yemen, extends his sincere apologies to President Obama and
to the people of the United States of America for the attack that
occurred earlier today on the U.S. embassy in Sana’a, Yemen.
President Hadi ordered the authorities to conduct an expeditious and
thorough investigation into today’s events. H.E. ensured the public that
the perpetrators of these acts will be prosecuted to the full extent of
the law. H.E. described the protesters as a “rowdy group” that acted
without any knowledge on conspiracies to derail Yemeni-American
relations. H.E. also highlighted that the divisions among Yemen’s
security and military forces due to the 2011 events have contributed to
the amplification of the incident. H.E. warned the public that such acts
will reflect negatively on the warm relations between Yemen and the
American public.
PRESIDENT Obama's statement on the attacks the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya and the murders of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith and two other consulate staffers in Benghazi.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Every day, all across the world,
American diplomats and civilians work tirelessly to advance the
interests and values of our nation. Often, they are away from their
families. Sometimes, they brave great danger.
Yesterday, four of these extraordinary Americans were killed in an
attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi. Among those killed was our
Ambassador, Chris Stevens, as well as Foreign Service Officer Sean
Smith. We are still notifying the families of the others who were
killed. And today, the American people stand united in holding the
families of the four Americans in our thoughts and in our prayers.
The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and
shocking attack. We're working with the government of Libya to secure
our diplomats. I've also directed my administration to increase our
security at diplomatic posts around the world. And make no mistake, we
will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who
attacked our people.
Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects
all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of
others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of
senseless violence. None. The world must stand together to
unequivocally reject these brutal acts.
Already, many Libyans have joined us in doing so, and this attack will
not break the bonds between the United States and Libya. Libyan
security personnel fought back against the attackers alongside
Americans. Libyans helped some of our diplomats find safety, and they
carried Ambassador Stevens’s body to the hospital, where we tragically
learned that he had died.
It's especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi because it
is a city that he helped to save. At the height of the Libyan
revolution, Chris led our diplomatic post in Benghazi. With
characteristic skill, courage, and resolve, he built partnerships with
Libyan revolutionaries, and helped them as they planned to build a new
Libya. When the Qaddafi regime came to an end, Chris was there to serve
as our ambassador to the new Libya, and he worked tirelessly to support
this young democracy, and I think both Secretary Clinton and I relied
deeply on his knowledge of the situation on the ground there. He was a
role model to all who worked with him and to the young diplomats who
aspire to walk in his footsteps.
Along with his colleagues, Chris died in a country that is still
striving to emerge from the recent experience of war. Today, the loss of
these four Americans is fresh, but our memories of them linger on. I
have no doubt that their legacy will live on through the work that they
did far from our shores and in the hearts of those who love them back
home.
Of course, yesterday was already a painful day for our nation as we
marked the solemn memory of the 9/11 attacks. We mourned with the
families who were lost on that day. I visited the graves of troops who
made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hallowed
grounds of Arlington Cemetery, and had the opportunity to say thank you
and visit some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed. And then last
night, we learned the news of this attack in Benghazi.
As Americans, let us never, ever forget that our freedom is only
sustained because there are people who are willing to fight for it, to
stand up for it, and in some cases, lay down their lives for it. Our
country is only as strong as the character of our people and the service
of those both civilian and military who represent us around the globe.
No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation,
alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand
for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of
the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to
see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake,
justice will be done.
But we also know that the lives these Americans led stand in stark
contrast to those of their attackers. These four Americans stood up for
freedom and human dignity. They should give every American great pride
in the country that they served, and the hope that our flag represents
to people around the globe who also yearn to live in freedom and with
dignity.
We grieve with their families, but let us carry on their memory, and
let us continue their work of seeking a stronger America and a better
world for all of our children.
Thank you. May God bless the memory of those we lost and may God bless the United States of America. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/12/remarks-president-deaths-us-embassy-staff-libya?utm_source=091212&utm_medium=topper&utm_campaign=daily
THIS from the PBS NewsHour on the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The video shows mitt romney at his worst, though he probably thinks he is at his best and so this should be seen as a warning to the American people, is this who you want to answer the phone at 3 AM when America is under attack? The report also includes the statements by Pres Obama and Sec of State Clinton on the attack and Ambassador Steven's and the consulate staffers deaths and the apology from the Libyan government to the American people and their condemnation of the attack and terrorism.
Attacks Linked to Web Video Leave Four Americans Dead at U.S. Consulate in Libya
SUMMARY
U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens
and three others were killed after gunmen launched a rocket attack on
the American consulate in Benghazi, setting it on fire. The attacks in
Libya and protests in Cairo, Egypt, are reportedly in response to an
Internet film defaming the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Margaret Warner
reports.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Questions swirled today about the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and its implications.
He died last night in the eastern city of Benghazi after thousands of
people surrounded and then attacked the American Consulate there.
Margaret Warner begins our coverage. MARGARET WARNER: U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was
the first American envoy to die in the line of duty in more than 30
years. He and three other State Department officers were killed in the
assault Tuesday night in Benghazi.
Stevens had been trying to evacuate staffers from the U.S. Consulate
when gunmen with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades stormed
the lightly guarded compound and set it on fire.
The identity of the attackers and their motivations remained
murky. But, in Washington, White House officials said militants tied to
al-Qaida may have used protests against an anti-Islam film as a
diversion.
Slain U.S. Ambassador Was 'Excited to Return to Libya'
This morning, President Obama, with Secretary of State Clinton at his side, praised the slain ambassador. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: It's especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi, because it is a city that he helped to save.
At the height of the Libyan revolution, Chris led our diplomatic post
in Benghazi. With characteristic skill, courage and resolve, he built
partnerships with Libyan revolutionaries and helped them as they planned
to build a new Libya. MARGARET WARNER: Flags over the White House, the Capitol and the State Department were lowered to half-staff, and tributes to Stevens poured in.
A Middle East veteran fluent in Arabic and French, Stevens had been
on the job since May, introducing himself to the Libyan people via
YouTube. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, U.S. Ambassador to Libya: I
look forward to exploring those possibilities with you as we work
together to build a free, democratic, prosperous Libya. See you soon. MARGARET WARNER: Killed alongside Stevens was Sean Smith, a State Department officer, and two Americans as yet unidentified.
In her own statement today, Secretary Clinton condemned the attacks in the wake of U.S. support for the Libyan revolution. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: Many
Americans are asking -- indeed, I asked myself, how could this happen?
How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we
helped save from destruction?
This question reflects just how complicated and, at times, how
confounding the world can be. But we must be clear-eyed even in our
grief. This was an attack by a small and savage group, not the people or
government of Libya. MARGARET WARNER: The president said the United States would work with the Libyan government to track down the perpetrators. BARACK OBAMA: Today, we mourn for more Americans who
represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not
waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible
act. And make no mistake, justice will be done. MARGARET WARNER: For now, the Pentagon ordered
special units of Marines to Libya called FAST teams, like this
detachment shown training, to reinforce security at diplomatic sites in
Libya.
And from Tripoli, the president of Libya's National Assembly echoed the words of his American counterparts. MOHAMMED MAGARIEF, Libyan National Assembly (through
translator): We apologize to the United States of America and to the
American people and to the whole world for what happened, and at the
same time we expect the rest of the world to help us face these cowardly
criminal acts.
We refuse to use our country's land as a scene of cowardly reprisals. MARGARET WARNER: Those reprisals came apparently in
response to Internet clips of a film titled "The Innocence of Muslims"
that crudely defamed the Prophet Mohammed. A California man calling
himself Sam Bacile has said he produced the movie.
It was also promoted recently by Florida preacher Terry Jones, whose
threats to burn the Koran led to widespread chaos and deaths in
Afghanistan two years ago. But recent coverage of the film in Egyptian
media helped propel the protests, which started in Cairo several days
ago.
Conservative Islamists, some who have long camped outside the U.S.
Embassy, scaled the compound walls yesterday and tore down the American
flag. They replaced it with a black banner proclaiming "There is no God
but God, and Mohammed is his prophet."
Egyptian authorities announced today they have arrested four people
in connection with that rioting. The new Egyptian president, Mohammed
Morsi, has asked American authorities to take action against the
filmmaker, but he has not so far condemned the attack on the U.S.
Embassy.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai also criticized the film, without mentioning the violence.
And the Afghan Taliban urged Muslims to attack U.S. troops in
revenge. Hours before the attack, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo decried what
it called "efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious
feelings of Muslims."
That drew criticism from Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
In a statement last night, he charged: "The Obama administration's
first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions,
but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."
The Obama campaign rebuked Romney, but the candidate reiterated his statement this morning in Jacksonville, Fla. MITT ROMNEY (R): I think it's a -- a -- a terrible
course to -- for America to -- to stand in apology for our values, that,
instead, when our grounds are being attacked and being breached, that
the first response of the United States must be outrage at the breach of
the sovereignty of our nation.
And apology for America's values is never the right course. MARGARET WARNER: The president visited the State Department and met with diplomats and staff.
Later, he told CBS News: "Gov. Romney seems to have a tendency to
shoot first and aim later. And as president, one of the things I have
learned is you can't do that."
ANALYSIS AIR DATE: Sept. 12, 2012
Libyan Salafists Assert Power with Embassy Attacks, Hoping to Catch Public Eye
SUMMARY
Since Libya established a secular
democracy, conservative Muslims in Libya known as Salafists have felt
disenfranchised. Gwen Ifil speaks to RAND Corporation's Frederic Wehrey,
a former military attache in Libya, and journalist Robin Wright about
the link between Salafi Muslims and the latest attacks in the Middle
East.
GWEN IFILL: For more on the developments of the last 24 hours, I'm joined now by two people with deep experience in Libya.
Robin Wright is a journalist and author who knew Ambassador Stevens
personally and has reported extensively from Libya and the wider Middle
East.
And Frederic Wehrey is a senior associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Robin Wright, tell us about Ambassador Stevens. ROBIN WRIGHT, journalist: Chris was an extraordinary envoy, in that he understood the streets as well as the elites.
He spoke the language. He understood the culture. And he had seen
Libya through -- all through three of its phases. He spent two years as
the number two during Moammar Gadhafi's rule at the American Embassy.
And then he was -- he spent a year during the transition as the liaison
to the Transitional National Council in Libya based in Benghazi.
Slain U.S. Ambassador Was 'Excited to Return to Libya'
And then he returned to establish the American Embassy in the post-Gadhafi era. And he really was tremendously thoughtful.
He was willing to get out, even facing the extraordinary dangers of a
country with 300 militias, going through a fragile transition, and
trying to kind of change a country that had been the nemesis for the
United States for 40 years into an ally. GWEN IFILL: Frederic Wehrey, based on your
experience on the ground in Libya and in Benghazi in particular, did any
of this surprise you? Did it seem unusual? The latest reports we're
hearing is that this attack was actually planned. FREDERIC WEHREY, Carnegie Endowment For International Peace: Tragically, I think there were a lot of indicators that this was coming.
What you had was, since the July 7 elections in Libya, security really declined, especially in Benghazi.
And this was really unnoticed by a lot of Western press. You had
almost daily incidents of car bombings, attacks on Gadhafi officials,
rocket attacks on Western icons like the Red Cross, and in May, an
attack on a consulate in Benghazi.
So, this wasn't the first of its kind. This is really a problem of
the weakness of the government and the weakness of the police forces
throughout the country. GWEN IFILL: But one of the things we have been
hearing, to the extent we have been hearing anything from Libya, is how
welcoming Libyans were and how -- even Ambassador Stevens had been
quoted saying how much better things had gotten. Was he misguided, or
were we? ROBIN WRIGHT: Well, I think the majority of Libyans
are overwhelmingly welcoming of the United States and the role of NATO
in facilitating the transition to post-Gadhafi rule.
But as you saw in Egypt as well, there are a small group of
extremists, hard-liners, ultra-conservatives of different ilks who are
sensitive about the role of the United States, in the case of Egypt
inflamed by a film about the Prophet Mohammad, that play into passions.
It may also be that you have an al-Qaida affiliate involved in some
way in the Libyan attack. We don't know, but there are early indications
that what happened in Benghazi and in Cairo may actually have slightly
different causes. GWEN IFILL: There may have been a retaliatory effect, we think, perhaps. There are so many versions of what may have been the spark. FREDERIC WEHREY: Absolutely.
And I think -- just to echo, I think Libyans, culturally,
temperamentally, historically, are not predisposed to support this sort
of violent radical Islamism that is motivating these attacks.
In many of the previous instances of violence, you have seen Libyans
mobilize in protests or on social media against the violence.
And, as Robin mentioned, this is a country that is still very grateful to the West for the intervention that toppled Gadhafi. GWEN IFILL: What do we know, Robin, about this
video, this film, whatever, however you choose to describe it, that was
posted some time ago online and suddenly caught fire this week? ROBIN WRIGHT: Very little.
There have been different reports in the first 24 hours about who may
have been behind it different sources, people from different parts of
the world, different religions. And it's kind of dangerous to get into
that turf until we really know more about where it came from.
But it did portray, an excerpt from it that was put on YouTube,
actions by the Prophet Mohammad that people in the region felt were
sensitive, in the same way that people of other -- Christians might feel
about the portrayal of Jesus in -- controversial.
This is a sensitive issue for people of all faiths. And Muslims at
this particular juncture, so sensitive about the roles and tensions of
the outside world in countries as they are reclaiming control of their
own faith -- and fate, political fate, you know, can trigger exceptional
or extraordinary responses, but, again, by a tiny minority.
When you look at Egypt, 2,000 people in a country with 85 million
people, that's almost infinitesimally, but it happened on 9/11 and it
was something that echoed the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Iran in
1979.
So, it clearly inflames us as well. And it's -- the tragedy is that
this is a very small minority of people I think in both countries. GWEN IFILL: Tell me about the Salafi Muslims. What role do we think they may have played? They have been stirring up some of this? FREDERIC WEHREY: Well, they have certainly been
behind a lot of the attacks in Libya against Sufism, which is a variant
of Islam that they regard as heretical.
They have attacked other Western targets.
My reading of the Salafis in Libya is that they're such a marginal
minority, and Libyans are really predisposed to a more moderate
interpretation -- and we saw this in the elections -- that the Salafis
are grasping at relevance and they're trying to rattle their sabers.
They're trying to muscle their way to prominence through this violence.
And this is not the strategy of a movement that has grassroots
support or a winning movement. So again they're a fringe movement. That
said, they can still cause violence. They can still play a spoiler role.
And, importantly, they're highlighting the weakness of the government.
And what you're seeing is a lot of Libyans, they're mad at the
Salafis for this attack and for other violence, but they're turning
their anger toward the government and they're saying, why aren't you
providing security? GWEN IFILL: One of the interesting things is the difference between the reaction in Egypt and the reaction in Libya.
The Libyan government came out. We heard the prime minister denounce
this, the U.S. ambassador from Libya to the U.S. also denouncing it. We
haven't gotten the same response in Egypt for the breach of the U.S.
Embassy there. ROBIN WRIGHT: Yes, it was very striking, the different responses in Tripoli and in Cairo.
And I think that was a subtheme of the remarks by both the secretary
of state and the president today, acknowledging the immediate and
heavy-hearted response by the Libyan government, the role that the
Libyan security forces played in trying to fight back those who were
mobbing the consulate in Benghazi, and then trying to save Ambassador
Stevens and his colleagues.
And by the absence of words about Egypt, it was almost as if saying, and where were you?
And I think this is a tragic moment, the timing of this, not just
because of 9/11, but also because both of these countries need U.S., in
the case of Libya, technological help, and Egypt financial help to deal
with the issues that triggered the uprisings in the first place.
And you just had 100 top-level executives from American corporations
in Cairo to talk about private investment, helping create jobs, which is
what really is so critical in stabilization. And these kinds of attacks
in Cairo and Benghazi undermine American faith, business or diplomatic,
in the future of these countries. GWEN IFILL: I think most Americans looked back at the Arab spring and think, good, done, that's all taken care of.
But, instead, I wonder if both of these events happening within 24
hours in two different capitals should be sending us some sort of
warning signal, something that the U.S. should be aware of, on alert
for. FREDERIC WEHREY: Well, certainly, I think it's an
indication that revolutions are a long-term process, and the initial
victors can sometimes lose out to more radical actors.
And I think, importantly, the international community shouldn't
disengage from these countries, and especially in Libya. The country is
grateful for our assistance, but they also need more assistance in
building representative institutions and especially building their
security forces. ROBIN WRIGHT: Chris' message would have been, do not
waver. That's the one thing he would have wanted more than anything,
that this commitment to try to help stabilize fragile democracies is
really what he had devoted his life to.
And that -- the challenge now is to instill the rule of law and help
them, not only find those who perpetrated, but to bring them to justice
in fair trials, and to be a contrast to, for example, the execution of
Moammar Gadhafi, but to put them in on trial in ways that reflect that
these are new democracies committed to the principles of law and order. GWEN IFILL: That's what we will be watching for next.
Robin Wright, Frederic Wehrey, thank you both very much. FREDERIC WEHREY: Thank you.
Philippine policemen stay beside a machine gun as they secure an area
in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, on Thursday Sept.
13, 2012. Manila police tightened security in the area following an
attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in
Libya. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
