Quote:
Originally Posted by justplugit
So Spence,still waiting for your answer to my question,--- we shouldn't have sent troops because we didn't know if they were alve or not ??????
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No, I don't think that was the question.
I think they didn't send troops because they thought the situation had played out and didn't offset the risks of sending in special forces from Italy. There was apparently a long lull in the fighting that resumed early morning with the quick mortar attack after the CIA reinforcements had arrived from Tripoli.
The Predator would have given them intel on movement around the consulate (or where ever it was looking) but they don't appear to have had good intel on the bigger situation.
I'd wager they were very concerned about a sudden US military presence sparking a substantial conflict. Most of the security in Benghazi was contracted through militias and this could have easily pitted pro-government forces against Islamist.
Given the speed in which these two attacks played out I don't think it's as easy a command decision as you'd like it to be.
-spence