8/13/2019 Libya 12-10-02 US Withdraws All Its Official Government Personnel Out of Benghazi

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U.S. withdraws all its official government personnel out of Benghazi, Libya

Anne Gearan and Michael Birnbaum, The Washington Post1 October, 2012

The Obama administration has withdrawn all official goernment !ersonnel from Bengha"i, the#ib$an cit$ where the countr$%s reolution was born and where the &'(' ambassador was )illedlast month, &'(' officials and local residents said Monda$'

The (tate *e!artment said that it has !ulled its !ersonnel from Bengha"i and that an$di!lomatic outreach to #ib$a%s second+largest cit$ is being done remotel$' The &'(' !ost where

Ambassador ' -hristo!her (teens and three other Americans died in an attac) b$ militants hasbeen closed'

./er$bod$ who was in Bengha"i and !osted there has been withdrawn, (tate *e!artments!o)eswoman ictoria uland said' (he said she )new of no other &'(' goernment em!lo$eesin the cit$ to hel! inestigate the attac) or !erform other wor)'

The !ullout was described as a tem!orar$ !recaution following what the administration is nowcalling a terrorist attac) on two &'(' goernment com!ounds' onessential &'(' !ersonnel also

hae been eacuated from the embass$ in Tri!oli, though it remains o!en'

Bengha"i was the seat of rebel !ower during the u!rising that eentuall$ to!!led strongmanMoammar Gaddafi with the hel! of &'(', ATO and other militaries'

The main com!ound used b$ the American di!lomats was unguarded Monda$, although the gatewas loc)ed' 3n the first da$s after the attac), looters, curiosit$+see)ers and 4ournalists roamed theburned+out buildings'

The 5B3 has been unable to set u! o!erations in Bengha"i as !art of the inestigation into thedeaths of (teens, information manager (ean (mith and goernment contractors Glen *ohert$and T$rone Woods' The absence com!licates efforts to gather eidence and interiew witnesses'

(eeral #ib$ans who !roided securit$ for the &'(' !ost said the$ hae not been 6uestioned b$&'(' or #ib$an authorities about the (e!t' 11 assault' Others said that some witnesses had beenflown to Tri!oli, the ca!ital, where &'(' officials sa$ the 5B3 team is conducting its inestigation'

.3 don%t )now wh$ the Americans don%t come here, said Wissam Bin 7amid, commander of the#ib$an (hield Brigade, a militia that came under sustained attac) while hel!ing defend thesecond com!ound on (e!t' 11' .Ma$be the$ are afraid'

Bin 7amid said that he has not been contacted but that an associate who was at the scene of thesecond attac) flew to Tri!oli to meet with the Americans'

/laborating on earlier re!orts, Bin 7amid said he and two officials from another goernment+sanctioned militia met with three &'(' officials !osted in Bengha"i three da$s before the attac)'

The Americans called the two+hour meeting, Bin 7amid said, because the$ were concernedabout securit$'

.The$ wanted to )now who was in control in Bengha"i, Bin 7amid said' .3t was li)e anintroductor$ meeting' The$ as)ed us what we needed to bring securit$ to Bengha"i, what the

Americans could !ossibl$ bring to hel!'

Bin 7amid said the #ib$ans told the Americans that Bengha"i was relatiel$ safe, considering thewides!read !roliferation of wea!ons' But he said he was forced to reealuate that 4udgment afterthe attac)' A member of the other militia who attended the meeting confirmed the basic details'

8/13/2019 Libya 12-10-02 US Withdraws All Its Official Government Personnel Out of Benghazi

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The -3A !ulled most or all its em!lo$ees from Bengha"i immediatel$ after the attac), according to&'(' officials who s!o)e on the condition of anon$mit$ because the$ were not authori"ed todiscuss intelligence moements'

Birnbaum re!orted from Bengha"i'

8 The Washington Post, 2012