The 2012 Benghazi attack that occurred in Benghazi, Libya was an event that has been deeply studied and investigated ever since. Entire policies and tactics have changed as a result of the incident which unfortunately claimed the lives of US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, USFS Officer Sean Smith, and CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.
The year is 2011 and the Libyan revolution is in full swing. The CIA began building a covert presence in Benghazi as a result and during the war utilized elite counterterrorist operators, US Delta Force. These operators were deployed to Libya as analysts assisting and instructing rebels on weapons and tactics. To go along side with the operation, the US assigned Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens as the liaison with the Libyan opposition. After the war ended, the CIA and the US State Department were continuing to work on identifying and collect arms that had flooded the country during the war as well as securing Libyan chemical weapons stockpiles while at the same time still assisting with training Libya forces, specifically their new intelligence service.
While this was going on, the CIA was alerted to Ansar al-Sharia and suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb were beginning to operate in the area. As a result, the US deployed a US Special Operations team with two JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) members in Libya independently of the CIA and State Department operations.
Instability in Benghazi continued to grow throughout this period with sporadic attacks on the consulate compound. In April 2012, two former security guards threw an IED over the consulate fence but did not injure anyone. A few days later, another IED was thrown at a four vehicle convoy near the consulate but again no one was seriously injured. In May 2012, an Al-Qaeda affiliate launched an attack on the International Red Cross causing them to suspend their operations in Benghazi. This same affiliate launched an IED attack in June outside the consulate gates but again did not cause any injuries. As a result of all the attacks, Libyan local security officials and a battalion commander met with the US Diplomats on September 8th, 2012 and alerted them to deteriorating security and possible attacks on the consulate. There is evidence that US security officials did request more bodies but were denied as the State Department wanted to keep the security presence in Benghazi “artificially low”.
On September 11th, 2012, two consulate security guards spotted a man in a Libyan police uniform taking pictures of the consulate with his cellphone from a nearby construction site and detained him. However shortly afterwards they released him, and he drove away in a police car. A complaint was made to the Libyan police station, but it is believed this went nowhere. USFS Officer Sean Smith noted the incident and messaged a friend “Assuming we don’t die tonight. We saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures”.
Stevens was visiting Benghazi at the time to review plans to establish a new cultural center and upgrade a hospital. He had a meeting with a Turkish diplomat which finished around 8:30pm and even escorted the diplomat to the front gate. At the time, security did not report any unusual activity up to this point. Stevens then returned to his room.
Later that evening at approximately 9:40pm, an assault was launched by the militant group Ansar al-Sharia onto the main diplomatic compound. A large group of armed men began shouting and approaching the compound from multiple directions. Once they were close by, they threw grenades over the wall and entered the compound with automatic weapons and RPGs. Security officers activated their panic alarms and a phone call was made to the embassy in Tripoli, the Diplomatic Security Command Center in Washington, the February 17th Martyrs Brigade, and a US quick reaction force located at the annex compound a little more than a mile away.
Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent Scott Strickland was able to secure Stevens and Sean Smith in the main building’s safe haven while the rest of the agents left to retrieve their weapons and tried to return to the main building. The attackers entered the main building and made attempts to enter the safe haven without success. They became frustrated and then poured diesel fuel in the room and set it on fire. Stevens, Smith and Strickland moved to a nearby bathroom and then decided to leave the saferoom due to the amount of smoke. Strickland was able to exit through the window but Stevens and Smith did not follow after him. He returned a couple times to try to find them but was not successful with the amount of smoke in the area. He then went to the roof and radioed other agents to get additional help.
At this time the Annex Security Team, who was made aware of the consulate attack shortly after 9:40pm, were ready to respond but where delayed by the commanding CIA officer. The Regional Security office did activate alarms and call to the Benghazi CIA annex and the embassy in Tripoli. The CIA’s Global Response Staff (GRS) at the CIA Annex decided to attempt a rescue. The team was briefed and loaded up their armored Toyota Land Cruisers. At the same time, communicators at the CIA Annex were notifying the chain of command about the events and a small contingent of CIA and JSOC element in Tripoli were trying to find a way to Benghazi.
The GRS team arrived at the consulate and made attempts to secure the perimeter and locate the ambassador and Sean Smith. They were able to locate Sean Smith on scene but he had probably already passed although he was officially declared deceased afterwards. The team could not locate Stevens at the time and decided to return to the annex with the survivors and Smith’s body. On the way back to the annex, their vehicle was hit by automatic rifle fire and hand grenades but was able to make it back with two flat tires.
A couple hours after the attack on the consulate, shortly after midnight, the CIA annex became under fire from machine guns, rockets and mortars. The CIA defenders were able to hold off the attack until the morning at which point the Libyan government forces met up with a group of Americans from Tripoli. This team was comprised of two active-duty JSOC operators and five CIA Personnel who were able to secure a small jet by paying pilots $30,000 to fly them to Benghazi. They rendezvoused with the Libyan forces at the airport and went to the CIA annex at 5am to assist with transporting approximately 32 Americans back to the airport for evacuation.
In the meantime, at the CIA annex, Doherty was able to start searching for his friend Tyrone S. Woods thanks to a lull in the fighting. He found Woods on the roof with two other special agents and Woods was fatality wounded from a mortar round. Doherty attempted to reposition and take cover but a second round fell on him and killed him. Several other agents ran onto the roof to help the other wounded while a JSOC operator utilized a hand-held device to display images from a Predator drone above. The team was then evacuated out.
Ambassador Stevens body was found by a group of Libyans who were able to gain access to the safe room through a window. They did not know his identity at the time and it was unknown if he was even alive at the time. The group of Libyans did attempt to rescue Stevens but were not successful in saving him. They did extract his body from the smoke-filled room and he was brought to the Benghazi Medical Center. At the hospital, personnel administered CPR for 90 minutes but were unable to bring Stevens back. He was declared deceased from smoke inhalation. The State Department made arrangements to have his body transported back to the US.
After the attack, all diplomatic staff were moved to the capital, Tripoli, while any nonessential personnel was flown out of Libya. To this date, sensitive documents remain missing including lists of the names of Libyans working with the Americans, and documents relating to oil contracts.
Rest easy Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
Ben