On September 11, 2012, four Americans were killed in an attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, conducted by Ansar al-Sharia.
The U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens; U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith; and CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed in the attacks against the facility.
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The attack was initially thought to be a response from an angry mob in retaliation of a recently released anti-Muslim video titled “Innocence of Muslims.” However, it was later deemed to be a terrorist attack.
“On this fateful day, we remember the heroism and courage of Ty ‘Rone’ Woods, Glen ‘Bub’ Doherty and the sacrifice Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, ‘Rone’ and ‘Bub’ made,” Kris “Tanto” Paronto told American Military News.
Paronto is one of the survivors and heroes of the 2012 terror attacks on the U.S. government facilities in Benghazi. He is a former Army Ranger from the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment.
“Say a prayer for their families and for all lost on 9/11/2001, as well,” Paronto told American Military News. “Also remember that standing up and speaking the truth is always the right thing to do, even in the face of the threats brought by dishonest politicians, gutless agency leaders, agenda driven media and bureaucrats who care only about themselves and their ‘legacies.'”
At around 9:40 p.m. local time, a large number of armed men attacked the compound. Stevens and Smith died from smoke inhalation, while Woods and Doherty were killed by two separate mortar rounds that hit their position at the CIA annex.
The 800-page report revealed that in the months leading up to the attack, there was worsening security in Libya, poor bureaucratic leadership and inadequate resources. The report showed Clinton and the State Department’s inadequacy to protect the Libyan diplomatic outpost. The report also revealed that the CIA missed the threat and wrote faulty intelligence after the attack.
Clinton told a U.S. House committee last year that she was aware of the dangers in Libya but “there was no actionable intelligence” indicating a planned terrorist attack. The report showed that intelligence was available, but Clinton and her top aide, Patrick Kennedy, failed to realize the risk of a potential attack.
The 800 page report took more than 2 years to investigate and complete.
