Two American Troops Killed In Ambush En Route To Rescue Besieged Diplomats In Benghazi

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

A squad of U.S. troops dispatched by helicopter across the Libyan desert to rescue besieged diplomats from Benghazi on Wednesday ran into a fierce overnight ambush that left a further two Americans dead, Libyan officials told Reuters.

Accounts of the mayhem at the U.S. consulate, where the ambassador and a fourth American died after a chaotic protest over a film insulting to Islam, remain patchy. But two Libyan officials, including the commander of a security force which escorted the U.S. rescuers, said a later assault on a supposedly safe refuge for the diplomats appeared professionally executed.

Miscommunication which understated the number of American survivors awaiting rescue - there were 37, nearly four times as many as the Libyan commander expected - also meant survivors and rescuers found themselves short of transport to escape this second battle, delaying an eventual dawn break for the airport.

Captain Fathi al-Obeidi, whose special operations unit was ordered by Libya's authorities to meet an eight-man force at Benghazi airport, said that after his men and the U.S. squad had found the American survivors who had evacuated the blazing consulate, the ostensibly secret location in an isolated villa came under an intense and highly accurate mortar barrage.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/two-american-troops-killed-in-ambush-en-route-to-rescue-besieged-diplomats-in-benghazi-1.464667

[azurnoir]

1. sounds as though the revolution in Libya isn't quite over

Other Libyan officials cited the possible involvement of former soldiers still loyal to Gaddafi's family or Islamist fighters, some of whom have trained and fought in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have noted it was "complex attack". Several Libyan officials and witnesses said an initial demonstration at the consulate appeared to be largely unarmed, though some elements of an Islamist militia were spotted.

[Tx4obama]

2. Are you sure these are TWO 'new' deaths?

Reading the article I see a total of 'four' - we already knew about 'four'.

Another article here: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/12/two-killed-as-u-s-troops-ambushed-en-route-to-rescue-besieged-diplomats-in-benghazi/

The last paragraph says: "Ambassador Chris Stevens and another diplomat died in a first attack on the consulate."

So, it looks like they are counting TWO and then the OTHER TWO.

???

[dipsydoodle]

7. The narrative lacks clarity

I concluded it confirms the background to and details of two of the four deaths.

[Tx4obama]

3. From the link in the OP

&quot The ambassador) died as a result of suffocation by the fumes of the fire inside the embassy and one was also killed by gunfire before around 37 people were moved to a place we thought was safe," Sharif told Reuters in Benghazi.

Speaking of the rescue mission, he said: "A team of commandos arrived by air and went to a farm which we thought was a secret location. Once they got there, they came under heavy fire from heavy machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles, which resulted in the death of two others."

That is a total of FOUR.
Yes, we already knew that.

So, this is NOT 'new' news.

Should just be added as a detail update to the first LBN here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=226496

[freshwest]

4. This is pretty awful stuff.

[arewenotdemo]

5. Goddamn. Where is Gaddafi when you need him?

Oh....that's right.

[GTurck]

6. Troops....

is an impersonal way to speak of soldiers. Not just ours but any countries. It is an abstract word and should be used when speaking in the abstract but the wire report is still valid.
Just a little rant by a lover of good English.

[madrchsod]

8. where in the hell were the Marines?

you know...from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli...

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. I beleive they are using "contractors" now.

Have no idea what our Marines are used for anymore.

[Posteritatis]

12. Probably guarding US soil on the embassy proper

The consulate isn't American territory, so they can't just place military personnel there like they can in an embassy.

[Ghost Dog]

9. So, how did the organisers of this hit know about the safe house?

... Seems to be one obvious line of investigation which just might lead... in an Ominous Romnious domestic US political direction... (apart from the usual Nutty suspect, of course).

[Bosonic]

14. Possibly inside assistance from one (or more) Libyan Guards?

On Tuesday, Sean Smith, a Foreign Service Information Management Officer assigned to the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, typed a message to the director of his online gaming guild: ”Assuming we don’t die tonight. We saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.” The consulate was under siege, and within hours, a mob would attack, killing Smith along with three others, including the U.S. ambassador.

from : http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/vilerat/

[Jeneral2885]

10. I thought they were USMC embassy staff

but according to the Marine Embassy security FB page, no US Marines were injured

[bullwinkle428]

13. Okay, I think we can finally dismiss the idea that this wasn't some rag-tag, grass-roots

protest about that fucking movie, and realize that this was a very well-planned and well-coordinated attack that was in the works for some time.

I realize that there was a group protesting about the movie in Libya along with Egypt, but that just made for a nice smokescreen for the real attack.

[Igel]

15. True.

Doesn't mean there's a great depth to planning. Just some.

On the other hand, the extreme backpedaling from the Libyans on how they don't really control every where and there are lots of arms and other organized militias sort of gives the lie to the "all's well and the central government is in firm control."

Until, of course, it isn't. The lie might be that they're not in control, because if not then they can't really be responsible. CYA?