Remembering Benghazi on the 20th anniversary of 9/11/01

The approaching 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 civilians on American soil marks a significant milestone for the friends, families and colleagues of those who lost their lives that day. In addition to honoring the victims, survivors and the first responders who acted courageously that day, the nation should also remember the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans 11 years later.

On Sept. 11 2012, the al-Qaeda linked Ansar al-Sharia (ASL) jihadist group launched a night-long assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, ultimately leading to one of America’s worst diplomatic incidents in modern history. U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, CIA contractors Glen “Bub” Doherty and Tyrone Woods and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith were killed during the ambush. Mr. Stevens succumbed to smoke inhalation, making him the first U.S Ambassador to be killed in the line of duty since 1979.

Obama administration officials claimed the attackers acted spontaneously and were catalyzed by a nearby protest in Cairo that turned violent. The White House blamed the circulation of an amateur video depicting anti-Islam caricatures made by a U.S. resident for fueling anti-American sentiment the led to the attack. This narrative, politically convenient for the Obama administration due a looming election, was false. Obama administration officials, including then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were aware of the role of Ansar al-Sharia within hours of the attack, and deliberately misled the public regarding facts surrounding the attack.

By pointing fingers at the Cairo protest and anti-Islam video, the Obama administration avoided linking al-Qaeda and its terror affiliations to Benghazi. Prior to the attack, the White House backed an assortment of extremist militant groups who overthrew then-dictator Muammar Gaddafi from power.

As described in detail by John Rossomando in his book, The Arab Spring Ruse: How the Muslim Brotherhood Duped Washington in Libya and Syria, these groups had extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Devastatingly yet not surprisingly, members of these groups that the U.S. hired to secure the embassy fled on the night of 9/11/12. In fact, many of the Libyan fighters who came to the rescue at the CIA annex in Benghazi were actually loyal to Gaddafi.

America’s reliance on militias with terror ties to protect diplomats and military personnel has re-emerged amidst the ongoing Afghanistan debacle. The U.S. has relied on the Taliban to ensure the safety of its citizens, green card holders and soldiers throughout our hasty evacuation from the country. On August 26, ISIS-K militants carried out a suicide bombing near Kabul airport, “secured” by the Taliban, that killed nearly 180 people and 13 U.S. service members.

Contrary to what the Biden administration professes, the threat from al-Qaeda and its deep ties to the Taliban is not “gone.” By suggesting the terror group no longer exists, the President is downplaying the nature of the threat jihadist terrorism poses.

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