Video shows Libyans trying to rescue US ambassador

[Douglas Carpenter]

Source: Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Libyans tried to rescue Ambassador Chris Stevens, cheering "God is great" and rushing him to a hospital after they discovered him still clinging to life inside the U.S. Consulate, according to witnesses and a new video that emerged Monday from last week's attack in the city of Benghazi.

The group of Libyans had stumbled across Stevens' seemingly lifeless form inside a dark room and didn't know who he was, only that he was a foreigner, the man who shot the video and two other witnesses told The Associated Press.

The account underlines the confusion that reigned during the assault by protesters and heavily armed gunmen that overwhelmed the consulate in Benghazi last Tuesday night, killing four Americans, including Stevens, who died from smoke inhalation soon after he was found. U.S. officials are still trying to piece together how the top American diplomat in Libya got separated from others as staffers were evacuated, suffocating in what is believed to be a consulate safe-room.

The Libyans who found him expressed frustration that there was no ambulance and no first aid on hand, leaving him to be slung over a man's shoulder to be carried to a car.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/video-shows-libyans-trying-rescue-us-ambassador-194148880.html

[Enrique]

1. is this the video Drudge posted?

the one saying "Libyans drag Stevens body through the streets?"

If so, I trust the AP's translation of what the people were saying in Arabic, over Drudge's.

[Posteritatis]

2. Yeah, the right's tried to spin it as a Mogadishu repeat since it first got out. (nt)

[joshcryer]

8. When my mom told me about that my heart sunk so low.

I covered Libya a lot last year and it was really some low shit for me, even though I disbelieved it internally I still was freaking out.

Got home, got online, saw the video myself, and I knew it was total bullshit.

(She didn't tell me her source or I would've been a lot less freaked out.)

[Victor_c3]

3. Most people are good people

I did some time in Iraq and I learned a lot about people from my daily patrols and meetings with various local leadership. Just like here, about 99% of the people in the middle east are good people. Also, like here, you have that one small portion of society that is purely evil and wants nothing more than power and money.

If I saw anyone wounded or dieing I'd risk my life to help them - and I believe most people would do the same. Cultural bounderies make no difference. People are people and usually the good prevails.

I hate that the right wing of our politics is so eager to pin all Muslims as evil blood thirsty thugs. At the root of it, they all want the same thing as us: relative security for their families, enough food to eat, and shelter.

[pampango]

4. One of the best, most human and most liberal posts I have read. Welcome to DU, Victor_c3! n/t

[polly7]

5. +1000.

Great post, Victor.

[JoeyT]

14. Awesome post,

thank you for that.

[Poll_Blind]

15. +1 nt

PB

[joshcryer]

6. I was told here on DU they were all a bunch of jihadist extremists.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Who were those jolly fellows who attacked the consulate?

[joshcryer]

9. Counter-revolutionaries.

These are the revolutionaries. These are the youths who rose up against Gaddafi.

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. If you don't want to say there are jihadis in Benghazi...

...I guess counter-revolutionaries is a nice euphemism.

[joshcryer]

11. I'm fine with noting some more extreme elements in Benghazi.

I'm not fine with the dishonest equating them with revolutionaries.

[daleo]

12. Be mindful of the "no true Scotsman" fallacy.

N/t

[joshcryer]

13. That I am.

[closeupready]

21. Because DU is populated, in part, with RW sock puppets who

are here to do nothing more than stir the pot and sow division.

[LilSol]

16. Strange

Strange situation - a mob and between heavy armed insurgents :-/

[Franker65]

17. Glad they tried to save him

A pity there was no quick response from the fire service to try and pull him out before it was too late.

[4th law of robotics]

18. Most people are basically decent

it's always been a minority that does nonsense like this.

But they more than make up for their minority status with energy and conviction.

[pampango]

19. "Most people are basically decent". Just thinking that might be one thing that makes us liberal.

Liberals believe that the vast majority of people are good, decent people who need to be protected from the few who are not.

Conservatives believe that most people are lazy grifters or criminals. The few good, decent people need to be protected from them.

[closeupready]

20. Libyans, or muslims? Obviously, crediting muslims is not-PC

in this Islamophobic media establishment, but you can bet your last dollar if the exact same people were rioting or otherwise committing some sort of mayhem, the headline would identify them as "muslims" rather than "Libyans".