Exclusive: Classified cable warned consulate couldn't withstand 'coordinated attack'

**Big Pimpin** · 11-01-2012, 04:44 AM

Ain't that a mother fucker?

The U.S. Mission in Benghazi convened an ?emergency meeting? less than a month before the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, because Al Qaeda had training camps in Benghazi and the consulate could not defend against a ?coordinated attack,? according to a classified cable reviewed by Fox News.

Summarizing an Aug. 15 emergency meeting convened by the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, the Aug. 16 cable marked ?SECRET? said that the State Department?s senior security officer, also known as the RSO, did not believe the consulate could be protected.

?RSO (Regional Security Officer) expressed concerns with the ability to defend Post in the event of a coordinated attack due to limited manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support, and the overall size of the compound,? the cable said.

According to a review of the cable addressed to the Office of the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Emergency Action Committee was also briefed "on the location of approximately ten Islamist militias and AQ training camps within Benghazi ? these groups ran the spectrum from Islamist militias, such as the QRF Brigade and Ansar al-Sharia, to ?Takfirist thugs.?? Each U.S. mission has a so-called Emergency Action Committee that is responsible for security measures and emergency planning.

The details in the cable seemed to foreshadow the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. compound, which was a coordinated, commando-style assault using direct and indirect fire. Al Qaeda in North Africa and Ansar al-Sharia, both mentioned in the cable, have since been implicated in the consulate attack.

In addition to describing the security situation in Benghazi as ?trending negatively,? the cable said explicitly that the mission would ask for more help. ?In light of the uncertain security environment, US Mission Benghazi will submit specific requests to US Embassy Tripoli for additional physical security upgrades and staffing needs by separate cover.?

As for specific threats against the U.S., the cable warned the intelligence was not clear on the issue, cautioning that the militias in Benghazi were not concerned with any significant retaliation from the Libyan government, which had apparently lost control in Benghazi. A briefer explained that they ?did not have information suggesting that these entities were targeting Americans but did caveat that (there was not) a complete picture of their intentions yet. RSO (Regional Security Officer) noted that the Benghazi militias have become more brazen in their actions and have little fear of reprisal from the (government of Libya.)?

While the administration?s public statements have suggested that the attack came without warning, the Aug. 16 cable seems to undercut those claims. It was a direct warning to the State Department that the Benghazi consulate was vulnerable to attack, that it could not be defended and that the presence of anti-U.S. militias and Al Qaeda was well-known to the U.S. intelligence community.

In a three-page cable on Sept 11, the day Stevens and the three other Americans were killed, Stevens wrote about ?growing problems with security? in Benghazi and ?growing frustration? with the security forces and Libyan police. The ambassador saw both as ?too weak to keep the country secure.?

Fox News asked the State Department to respond to a series of questions about the Aug. 16 cable, including who was specifically charged with reviewing it and whether action was taken by Washington or Tripoli. Fox News also asked, given the specific warnings and the detailed intelligence laid out in the cable, whether the State Department considered extra measures for the consulate in light of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks ? and if no action was taken, who made that call.

The State Department press office declined to answer specific questions, citing the classified nature of the cable.

"An independent board is conducting a thorough review of the assault on our post in Benghazi," Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said in written statement. "Once we have the board's comprehensive account of what happened, findings and recommendations, we can fully address these matters."

**ctr10** · 11-01-2012, 05:05 AM

Hilliary fucked up plain and simple

**jagbender** · 11-01-2012, 08:37 AM

Our current government denies everything. Fast and Furious, Benghazi, you name it they hide it, So much for Obummer being transparent! Lying Bastard!

**jagbender** · 11-01-2012, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by ctr10

Hilliary fucked up plain and simple

IS a fuck up!

**DOMS** · 11-01-2012, 09:31 AM

It's clearly Bush's fault.

**Big Pimpin** · 11-01-2012, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by DOMS

It's clearly Bush's fault.

Not to mention Fox News.

Obama's war on Fox News lasted about 3 days before Obama and Co. had to surrender.

Remember that sleazy fucker tried to get FNC ran out of the WH pool? Jesus Christ!

**troubador** · 11-01-2012, 10:24 AM

So what if this administration lies about terrorist attacks, have you heard about Ann Romney's horse? That's a real story.

**DOMS** · 11-01-2012, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Big Pimpin

Not to mention Fox News.

Obama's war on Fox News lasted about 3 days before Obama and Co. had to surrender.

Remember that sleazy fucker tried to get FNC ran out of the WH pool? Jesus Christ!

I remember. It was so heinous an attack on free speech and even the liberal news sources turned on him.

**Big Pimpin** · 11-01-2012, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by troubador

So what if this administration lies about terrorist attacks, have you heard about Ann Romney's horse? That's a real story.

No shit! And Mitt wears briefs not boxers!

**Swiper** · 11-01-2012, 10:51 AM

Obama lied people died.

**ALBOB** · 11-01-2012, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Big Pimpin

No shit! And Mitt wears briefs not boxers!

Conclusive proof I'm an Independent - I don't wear any

**DOMS** · 11-01-2012, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by ALBOB

Conclusive proof I'm an Independent - I don't wear any

I now know that ALBOB goes commando.

Just another thing I learned on the Internet that I wish I hadn't.

**ALBOB** · 11-01-2012, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

I now know that ALBOB goes commando.

Just another thing I learned on the Internet that I wish I hadn't.

Because it arouses those latent homosexual desires you've been hiding all these years, doesn't it? Come on, admit it, you're a................................................. ........LIBRUL!!!

**secdrl** · 11-01-2012, 05:25 PM

Maybe the WH can have Susan Rice make another early morning MSNBC apperance and blame it on a YouTube video.

Speaking of blaming people...

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 07:59 PM

why was it again that funding the additional security was a problem?

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 08:03 PM

lmao at the rainbow lollipop licking, unicorn riding, Romney fans that think that nut/con job isn't going to ever fuck anything up and that he will be truly honest with the American people. his butt buddy Ryan voted against more money for embassy security and Ryan voted for cutting $300 million from embassy security.

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 08:09 PM

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 08:11 PM

Typical GOP nonsense. US has hundreds of Embassies and outpost throughout the world. The Defense dept does not check with the WH each time a request for additional security is made, that's a ludicrous assumption. GOP cuts $300 million from the embassy security budget and now its somebody else's fault.

**DOMS** · 11-01-2012, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by Little Wing

Typical GOP nonsense. US has hundreds of Embassies and outpost throughout the world. The Defense dept does not check with the WH each time a request for additional security is made, that's a ludicrous assumption. GOP cuts $300 million from the embassy security budget and now its somebody else's fault.

How many billions are spent on embassies around the world each year?

The cuts that were voted in just happened this year and haven't gone into effect yet.

But yeah, let's absolve Obama and his administration of any wrong doing.

Good fucking god...

**dogsoldier** · 11-01-2012, 08:18 PM

As someone with some experience with embassy security from years ago, let me say that it takes a lot for an ambassador to request a security status upgrade. Years past when an ambassador requests help, the people in state listened and acted. Or at least they use to. The idea that a budget cut would have impacted the decision to harden an embassy or consulate, is pure bullshit. The State Department ALWAYS has money for that stuff. What is a few grand, when even with cuts, you are sitting on tens of millions? This was a political/diplomatic fuck up, plain and simple. The intelligence was there, some state department appointee, or even even the senior administration decided to outsource the security to Libyan police. And in a bad place, that always leads to trouble. You can never count on the nationals of a turd world country to step up when the shit is hitting the fan. I saw it in Honduras, Guatemala and a couple other similar garden spots.

**DOMS** · 11-01-2012, 08:21 PM

You just have to fucking hate facts.

**DOMS** · 11-01-2012, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by dogsoldier

As someone with some experience with embassy security from years ago, let me say that it takes a lot for an ambassador to request a security status upgrade. Years past when an ambassador requests help, the people in state listened and acted. Or at least they use to. The idea that a budget cut would have impacted the decision to harden an embassy or consulate, is pure bullshit. The State Department ALWAYS has money for that stuff. What is a few grand, when even with cuts, you are sitting on tens of millions? This was a political/diplomatic fuck up, plain and simple. The intelligence was there, some state department appointee, or even even the senior administration decided to outsource the security to Libyan police. And in a bad place, that always leads to trouble. You can never count on the nationals of a turd world country to step up when the shit is hitting the fan. I saw it in Honduras, Guatemala and a couple other similar garden spots.

How about you and your facts get the fuck out of here? It's interfering with some serious Obama cock-sucking.

**oufinny** · 11-01-2012, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

How many billions are spent on embassies around the world each year?

The cuts that were voted in just happened this year and haven't gone into effect yet.

But yeah, let's absolve Obama and his administration of any wrong doing.

Good fucking god...

LW watches MSNBC now religiously it appears. Facts and things like that just don't get consideration anymore with her. It's all Bush's, the GOPs, republicans in congress and NOT Barry's fault.

**troubador** · 11-01-2012, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Little Wing

lmao at the rainbow lollipop licking, unicorn riding, Romney fans that think that nut/con job isn't going to ever fuck anything up and that he will be truly honest with the American people. his butt buddy Ryan voted against more money for embassy security and Ryan voted for cutting $300 million from embassy security.

Well, I'm totally against Romney however the complaint isn't that more money should be spent on embassy security overall but rather how things were handled at this particular location. I hope it's obvious that there's a difference between acting appropriately to a specific incident and throwing a money blanket over a broad area. If you're not that smart then think about a father letting one of his kids starve to death and when the mother questions him he says 'well you're the one who wanted to try to reduce the grocery bill."

**oufinny** · 11-01-2012, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

How about you and your facts get the fuck out of here? It's interfering with some serious Obama cock-sucking.

Best post of October, hands down!

**troubador** · 11-01-2012, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by oufinny

Best post of October, hands down!

You're a day late sir.

**dogsoldier** · 11-01-2012, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by doms

how about you and your facts get the fuck out of here? It's interfering with some serious obama cock-sucking.

lol!

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by troubador

Well, I'm totally against Romney however the complaint isn't that more money should be spent on embassy security overall but rather how things were handled at this particular location. I hope it's obvious that there's a difference between acting appropriately to a specific incident and throwing a money blanket over a broad area. If you're not that smart then think about a father letting one of his kids starve to death and when the mother questions him he says 'well you're the one who wanted to try to reduce the grocery bill."

I'm smart enough not to trust Romney any more than I do Obama.

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 09:59 PM

it would be interesting to know if any other embassies did request more security and how those requests were handled after 9/11. i bet funds miraculously became doable. wonder if any reporter has looked into that.

and i didn't say Obama didn't fuck up. for everyone too busy sucking each others cock and being so cooly ignorant *gag* to realize it

"Romney fans that think that nut/con job isn't going to ever fuck anything up" should have clued you in that i think the situation was a fuck up and Romney will fuck up too. maybe if you pull your heads a few inches out of your asses you will also realize that me laughing at you for thinking Romney will be honest is me laughing at you thinking he will be any less of a liar. he will not. you're getting another politician.

**Little Wing** · 11-01-2012, 10:09 PM

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