Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that three urgent requests from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack nearly seven hours later were denied by officials in the CIA chain of command — who also told the CIA operators to “stand down” rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.
Former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a small team who were at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, they radioed to inform their higher-ups to tell them what they were hearing. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. An hour later, they called again to headquarters and were again told to “stand down.”
Woods, Doherty and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the Consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The quick reaction force from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the Consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Specter gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours — enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, amo
ng them Delta Force operators.
A Special Operations team, or CIF which stands for Commanders in Extremis Force, operating in Central Europe had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but they too were told to stand down. A second force that specializes in counterterrorism rescues was on hand at Sigonella, according to senior military and intelligence sources. According to those sources, they could have flown to Benghazi in less than two hours. They were the same distance to Benghazi as those that were sent from Tripoli. Specter gunships are commonly used by the Special Operations community to provide close air support.
According to sources on the ground, the special operator on the roof of the CIA annex had visual contact and a laser pointing at the Libyan mortar team that was targeting the CIA annex. The operators were calling in coordinates of where the Libyan forces were firing from.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that there was not a clear enough picture of what was occurring on the ground in Benghazi to send help.
“There's a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here,” Panetta said Thursday. “But the basic principle here … is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on.”
Fox News has learned that there were two military surveillance drones redirected to Benghazi shortly after the attack on the Consulate began. They were already in the vicinity. The second surveillance craft was sent to relieve the first drone, perhaps due to fuel issues. Both were capable of sending real time visuals back to US officials in Washington, D.C. Any U.S. official or agency with the proper clearance, including the White House Situation Room, State Department, CIA, Pentagon and others, could call up that video in real time on their computers.
Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, were part of a Global Response Staff or GRS that provides security to CIA case officers and provides countersurveillance and surveillance protection. They were killed by a mortar shell at 4 a.m. Libyan time, nearly seven hours after the attack on the Consulate began — a window that represented more than enough time for the U.S. military to send back-up from nearby bases in Europe, according to sources familiar with Special Operations. Four mortars were fired at the annex. The first one struck outside the annex. Three more hit the annex.
@Nan G: Don’t be surprised if one or more of the folks who were on one of these QRF’s open their mouths about what happened. These are professionals who are most likely very upset right now having been in the position where they had the means to possibly save American lives and were denied the chance. It is also curious that the intel leaks sought to portray Obama has being intimately involved with day to day military operations on the ground with his “kill lists” etc., but he either had no knowledge of what was going on in Benghazi or maintained a hands off approach.
Aqua
PANETTA SAID THEY DID NOT WANT MORE CASUALTYS, so they decide to not go.
well if that’s the way he and OBAMA THINK. THEY ARE PROTECTING THE ENEMY COUNTRIES,
and they send diplomats to represent AMERICA, BUT DON’T ANSWER THEIR CALL FOR HELP,
THAT IS THE ULTIMATE OUTRAGE TO THOSE WHO ARE WORKING ALL OVER THOSE HATERS COUNTRIES , WHO KILL
FOR ANY EXCUSE THEY CAN FIND.
THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY WORK, like this;
give a call to the country that you get out of the zone named according to their calculation,
other who don’t comply will be exterminate on sight of the aircraft coming,
and actionate that warning before landing and once landed,
what the fuck are you afraid to kill enemies for?
what the fuck are you protecting a leader who would not agree to save the one who fight for their lives.
they are more precious than anyone leader of this AMERICA,
THEY IN AFGHANISTAN GET KILLED IN THE BACK, IN THE FRONT UNDERNEAT THE SOIL THEY WALK ON,
THIS IS NOT A WAR, THIS IS A MASSACRE, GO CHECK IN THE VETERANS WOUNDED THE BEST OF THIS NATION, IT MUST CHANGE AND A COWARD FOR PRESIDENT WHO DO NOT WANT TO OFFEND THE COUNTRY, IS NOT WHAT AMERICA NEED.
@another vet: I appreciate your comment and hope we do hear from some of them, another vet.
I was thinking about Panetta’s remark and how he was infantalizing our military.
I could practically hear him call them BOYS who we should protect, not sent into DANGER.
This is part and parcel of an ”actuarial” view of Americans.
Gee.
Terrorism is less a cause of death in the USA than….Snakebites! Lightening! Slips in the Tub!
So…..why worry?
And our BOYS?
They are just BOYS!
Risking our BOYS just to save these people is crazy!
That’s how number’s crunchers look at this.
Adults, on the other hand, look at CIVILIANS as people to be protected by ARMED, WELL TRAINED SOLDIERS.
On 9-11-01 we lost almost 3000 untrained, innocent civilian victims.
On 9-11-12 we lost two unarmed, innocent civilians, representative of the US gov’t.
We also lost two armed ex-soldiers who fought to the end expecting help to come at any second.
Shame on Obama for what he did.
@Greg:
Gee, I wonder why other media outlets are not hammerng this story…Hmmm, very curious…Just.Can’t.Figure.It.Out…..Ahh, the insight of a pouge…
@Nan G: This is all about circling the wagons around the Administration. They have been thumping their chests about how “they” and “they” alone were responsible for killing OBL and that the war was won. This is a big oops moment for them in addition to being a strong sign of incompetence. The fact that it happened less than two months before the election has them in panic mode. American lives are of secondary importance to political survival for them.
@Richard Wheeler:
There is a bigger problem Rich. If everything in the reports comes out as fact, the biggest issue is the SeAL actively painting the mortar team with the ground laser designator. If this was actually happening, then Spooky was on station. They don’t paint targets with the GLD for the fun of it. If Spooky was on station, who gave the order to stand down?
*ETA
Actually, I guess they could have been synching up with the drone, but that means the drone was armed. Bottom line, you don’t paint a target unless you are synched up with a weapons system. What was on station and who gave the order to stand down?
*ETA part II
Just found the same line of thinking at Ace
http://www.ace.mu.nu/
@Greg: The accusations themselves are far more “damaging in the days leading up to an election” than any damage from simply saying they are false. A flat out denial of these serious charges would do a lot to assuage the uncertainty of the undecided voters.
You put great emphasis on exposing the sources, as though there is little risk for them, but Obama can check the validity of the accusations himself. If he denies the charges, only then does it make sense for the sources to come forward with as much protection as possible.
@Aye, #45:
As with Herman Cain, the accuser was hardly anonymous. It was Harry Reid, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, with a television camera pointed directly at his face. The accusation didn’t suddenly appear out of the blue in a major national media outlet’s news story, attributed to “sources on the ground in Washington, DC.”
#57:
I’m not familiar enough with the Predator surveillance systems to know if that’s correct or not. I would assume you could paint a target on the ground simply to direct an unarmed Predator’s high definition imaging camera to a specific location.
If the Predator was actually armed, and if mortar teams were actually targeted from the ground using lasers, and if a launch was requested but denied, then there’s an enormous problem. But people are piling up a hell of a lot of “ifs” to get to that point, based on hostile speculation and anonymous reports.
@Greg:
Here Greggie, learn something:
“Having spent a good bit of time nursing a GLD (ground Laser Designator) in several garden spots around the world, something from the report jumped out at me.
One of the former SEALs was actively painting the target. That means that Specter WAS ON STATION! Probably an AC13OU. A ground laser designator is not a briefing pointer laser. You do not “paint” a target until the weapons system/designator is synched; which means that the AC130 was on station.
Only two places could have called off the attack at that point; the WH situation command (based on POTUS direction) or AFRICOM commander based on information directly from the target area.
If the AC130 never left Sigonella (as Penetta says) that means that the Predator that was filming the whole thing was armed.
If that SEAL was actively “painting” a target; something was on station to engage. And the decision to stand down goes directly to the POTUS.”
That from a retired Delta operator over at Blackfive, the best military blog going.
Painting a target means you are insync with the air support, Greg.
@retire05, #60:
You really should stop with the “Greggie.” It sounds like someone’s daft old auntie.
It means no such thing. It means only that a laser designator was present on the ground. They can be used to guide the attention of high definition imaging devices carried on an unarmed surveillance drone. It has been reported that a Predator drone was dispatched to gather intelligence.
There would be another reason it might have been used. The invisible beams of some hand-held laser designator devices can be seen by night vision-equipped sighting scopes, binoculars, etc. You could use one to direct small arms fire on the ground. That seems like a very likely possibility, if a spotter was positioned on the roof.
@Greg:
As with Harry Reid, the accuser was hardly anonymous. It was reporter Jennifer Griffen, on a major news channel, with a television camera pointed directly at her face.
@Wm T Sherman, #62:
Ms. Griffin is an employee of FOX News. In theory, she is supposed to be an unbiased reporter of information that she collects. She is not herself supposed to be taken as a source, unless she herself has witnessed the events she’s speaking of.
@Greg:
You mean like how Woodward and Bernstein actually witnessed the events they wrote about?
Damn, Greggie, you sure are struggling today to cover Obama’s ass, aren’t you? Tell me, how much does loyalty like yours cost the Obama Corruption Machine?
@Greg:
Harry Reid is an employee of the U.S. Government. In theory, he is supposed to be an unbiased reporter of information that he collects. He is not himself supposed to be taken as a source, unless he himself witnessed the events that he’s speaking of.
Interesting. New eyewitness accounts from Benghazi today indicate that the militants were using the anti-Islamic film as cover while organizing their attack.
Libyan witnesses recount organized Benghazi attack.
@Greg:
How can you believe that article, Greggie? According to the standards you place on Jennifer Griffin, the person who is making the claims that there were youths gathered protesting the film is anonymous and not credible. Let CBS name to person they interviewed or I will totally discount the claim made. Your standard applied to the CBS article.
Also, I noticed the author used “may have” not “did.” Ummmm, plausible deniability?
@Greg:
Not exactly, Greg.
The article shows that the Ansar al-Shariah intimidated or at least tried to intimidate about 20 young men into chanting against a ”film” they had never seen.
Here’s how the article puts it:
Ansar al-Shariah actually puts its name/logo on the sides of its trucks, just like American plumbers and electricians do here!
BTW, Ansar al-Shariah call for the Islamization of media, education, tourism and commercial sectors, and the establishment of an Islamic trade union to confront the secular elements.
Their members protest against perceived blasphemy and have been suspected in involvement in a number of violent incidents.
@Greggster: You said:
Sorry, wrong again.
@Greggie: You said:
And tell us, how much experience you’ve had with this type of military action?
@anticsrocks, #69:
It is possible to obtain a wide range information on all manner of topics that you’ve had no personal experience with through a process known as reading. It’s quite amazing, really.
@Greg: You said:
In other words, NONE.
I can read volumes about brain surgery, but you wouldn’t want to have to rely on me for it…
.
.
GREG
YOU ARE A BUG IN THE SOUP,
THIS EVENT WAS MADE COMPLICATED willingly to cover the failure of the COMMANDER IN CHIEF TO COMMAND THE TROUPS IN ALREADY GATHERED TO GO ON A DEMOLITION MODE,
NO COMPLICATION TO UNDERSTAND THERE,
YOU AND THOSE COVERING THE FAILURE ARE COMING WITH THOSE QUESTION TO BLURR THE TRUTH,
AND THERE ARE TOO MANY OF YOU TRYING ANYTHING TO SAVE THE ELECTION, YOU ARE ON A RAMPAGE YOURSELF,
@Greg:
There are lasers used to direct small arms fire for night vision goggles, but not the GLD. It doesn’t operate that way. It is meant to be synched up with a weapons system, specifically guided munitions.
@Greg: If the drone was used to gather intelligence, it kind of destroys the argument that there was was no real time information to act on. The more excuses, the deeper the hole.
@another vet: LOL, you used drone and intelligence in the same sentence while talking to Greggie, who is a HUGE Obama drone!! LOL
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
@anticsrocks: Today is the day for Word’s Sunday Funnies so your comment fits. Still in Illinois?
unnamed sources are always suspect.
JOHN
FOX IS VERY GOOD REPORTING ON BENGHASI, THEY BROUGHT THE SOURCE AND THE TOP GUYS TO SUPPORT THEIR STORIES,
BYE
John Cooper
hope to hear from you soon, I miss your smart info and comment here,
hope you did not have to much wind on the monster hurricane,
bye
hope you all are okay, it’s going to be hard with that storm surge of 10 t0 11 high feets,
snow up north mix with it.
@another vet: Unfortunately I am still in Illinois. After I get my transplant, I think we’re moving to Florida.
GREG
YOU ARE WAITING FOR SOURCE for the record, just like what happen but the only source are in the WHITE HOUSE KEPT SECRET.
HOW ABOUT HILARY SAID SHE ASK FOR MORE SECURITY AND OBAMA REFUSE,
THAT WAS FROM FOX ABOUT ONE WEEK AGO,THERE IS YOUR SOURCE, SO THE NEXT ONE IS THE PRESIDENT
Variable, this is Knife! Over!…Variable, this is Knife! Over!… Variable, this is Knife! where the heck are you!?!?
IVAN
hi,
this is SPOON,
CAN I HELP
@ilovebeeswarzone: Hi Bees!
Go watch “A Clear and Present Danger” and you’ll enjoy it.
IVAN
is it a movie, or is it someone we know?
@ilovebeeswarzone: google it bees. And despite how you upset me with your mean comments and capitalization I do like reading your posts.
IVAN
yes, that’s the way I like you, upset and loyal reader of my comments
bye thank’s for the movie,
GEEZ WIZ, I WILL MISS MY CAPS
IVAN
yes I like that movie
thank you