Five American commandos who responded to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi are telling their story for the first time in a new book.
A protester at the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012.
Esam Al-Fetori / Reuters / Reuters
The former U.S. special forces officers were hired as contractors to defend a CIA base in Benghazi. On Sept. 11, 2012, just after 9:30 p.m., they got word that the U.S. diplomatic facility about a mile away was under attack.
The five-member team tells the story of what happened next in a new book, 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, due out next week. The commandos, two of whom use pseudonyms, are listed as co-authors, along with Boston University journalism professor Mitchell Zuckoff. The attack ultimately resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, and three other Americans.
The New York Times and Fox News both received an advance copy of the book, and Fox News will air interviews with some of the men Friday. But for now, here are the most important details to emerge from their story:
The U.S. diplomatic facility in flames on Sept. 11, 2012.
Esam Al-Fetori / Reuters / Reuters
Probably the most significant revelation from the commandos' story so far is that they were prepared to help. "Hey, we gotta go now! We're losing the initiative!" the Times quoted one of the commandos as saying.
Instead of racing to the scene, however, the CIA officer in charge of the base ordered them to stand down. Both the Times and Fox News say that officer is identified in the book only as "Bob."
Bob seemingly gave the order to hold back "on his own authority," the Times reports, and said he hoped to get Libyan militiamen to rescue the diplomatic facility.
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/Wl6coz
No comments:
Post a Comment