Despite falling more and more
behind my work programme, I decided at lunchtime on 20th October 2016 to watch the
fictional film 13 Hours, an account of the 2012 killing of the USA ambassador
to Libya, J Christopher Stephens, his assistant Sean Smith Foreign Service
Information Management Officer, Glen Doherty, former Navy Seal who became a private contractor (mercenary) participating in activities in Afghanistan
Iraq, Israel, Kenya and Libya, member of
the Military Religious Freedom
Foundation and Tyrone S Woods, another trained Seal decorated for valour, who
became a private contractor with Global Response also training as a nurse and paramedic, owning
a Bar, and who was twice married and with three children.
The film tells the story of an
unofficial arm’s length group of former USA forces employed for a specific
purpose who became involved in the protection of the Ambassador and the USA
mission. The film 13 Hours The Secret
Soldiers of Benghazi- became available on Sky Movies on Demand and will be
review after a brief account of what I
understand is the factual account of what happened and where at one
level former Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, the likely next President of
the United States, took responsibility for the failure to provide an adequate
level of security at the compound of the Ambassador, although it must be note the attack commenced with mortar
bombs launched from a mile away. Although
it is known that rioters and looters joined in the attack it has since been
established that it was planned although there is controversy over the precipitating
reason. The individual believed to have been behind the attack and part of the
battle for power in the country following the removal of Colonel Gaddafi was
subsequently captured by USA special forces in 2014. There was believed to have
been no external terrorist involvement at that time although since insurgents
and terrorists from Syria and Iraq and other parts of north Africa are said to
have added to Libya becoming a failed state with uncertain future.
The part which the USA and
other governments within and outside the region played in creating and developing regime change
arising from the so called Arab Spring which is now the Winter of Human Misery
may never fully become public but once
the 2011 revolution in Libya took place it was right the USA should immediately
attempt to influence the inevitable battle for power between the various
political and secular interests, and to do something about the arsenal of
weaponry which the Gadhafi regime had acquired and fallen into the hands of the
revolutionaries.
It is the USA State Department
which is the opposite to the British Foreign Office with responsibilities for
the various forms of Embassies and
official missions and the Central Intelligence Agency which matches the UK MI6 in
terms of overseas operations with
the Federal (Interstate) Bureau of
Investigations broadly have the same role as the UK MI5 and where the armed
service organisations have their own Intelligence and special Operational
branches together with the use of arm’s length
special units, some part of international security enterprises which
recruit the most highly trained and experienced personnel available and where
is more open about the existence of the such operations and the problems which arise
given that in effect the USA is a
collection of very different countries in terms of size, populations, political
and religious outlooks and backgrounds and that the Presidency/White House is
more about international operations than domestic policy and administration
which is devolved. In the UK the
division has been between the roles the roles of the Prime Minister/ Foreign
and Defence Secretaries of State. Overseas Development/Home Office and the
Treasurer and the various Ministries for distribution of domestic resources and
until Brexit subject to various policies and control for the European Economic
Community and market[CS1] .
It is understood that by 2012
in addition to the activities of the State department and CIA there were two special operation units
which technically had no official standing. The other aspect to be mentioned is
geography with Tripoli the capital and former Gaddafi regime stronghold and on
the west coast close to Tunisia, Algeria and Italy and Benghazi on the East
coast next to Egypt, Turkey and Greece and with a huge landmass leading to the
Sahara borders with Nigeria, Chad and the Sudan, an Economic and military
strong Libya could exercise significant power in North Africa, hence becoming
the next major target for control by International terrorism,
This being so it could be
argued that the sending of Ambassador Stephens with the plan for Hilary Clinton
to visit later in the year to show support for those seeking a democratic
solution for the future of the country Clinton to visit was at best ambitious
and in reality and warning to those who wanted to replace one power structure
with another. It is not clear to me why the State Department wanted to keep a
low profile and therefore said no to pleas for added security measures given
that over 200 security were registered with some 50 in Benghazi.
The film 13 hours is focussed
on the role of a small Global Response Unit employed by the separate CIA
counterterrorism centre and the arrival an addition to the team who meets up
with a friend with whom they have served together and know each other’s
families. This enables the film viewer to be introduced into the situation and
the State Department compound who insists on Departmental policy and directives
being followed placing tight leash on the team who have separate accommodation
within the compound and keep to themselves.
The unit are deployed to collect the Ambassador from the airport and
accompany to a special mission compound facility of several acres of gardens
and a large villa type building with swimming pool. The Ambassador and a colleague
are accompanied by only two security officers plus guards provided by the local
militia believed to be sympathetic. The escort is horrified by the situation
and express similar concern when required to provide security for members of
the state department team having meetings with those from the community
building up links.
Because of the scale of attack
and despite the resistance of the security staff the compound is over run and
with the Ambassador and his assistant in a secure room the terrorists set fire
to the building. The special until learning of the situation and the appeal for
help want to attempt to assist but are ordered to remain by the station chief
concerned about their own protection should they be attacked. They insist on
going and help rescue the two-security agent, and recover one body and return
to the State Deportment CIA compound which is attacked by mortar bombs and a
substantial force of well-armed insurgents with local militia abandoning them.
Support is provided from Tripoli but attempts to bring support from further
afield is not possible in the time. The mortar attack kills two members of the
unit
The situation appears worse when
a heavily armed convoy of vehicles approaches but fortunately this is a Libya
escort of the Global response unit from Tripoli which secures the position
enabling the evacuation of all USA staff from the county. The Ambassador is
found but is pronounced dead at hospital. The official USA State Department and
CIA staff can leave. The special unit stayed on to recover the bodies for their
return to USA and it is said tens of thousands of Libyans marked the death of thee
Ambassador irrespective of the risks involved at the time. The films centres on
the life of one of the special team who survived showing the pressure from his
wife and children to establish a more normal life and uses internet video communications
to provide ongoing contact and both parties pretend normality for the sake of the
children. At the end of the film he admits he was very lucky to be alive, the
odds stated to have been 1000 to 1 and he breaks down on revealing that their
married friend with children did not. In
the end credits, all the surviving members of the special unit retire and
attempt “ordinary” lives with their families although from my perspective this
outcome is unlikely.
The film portrays the
station chief as indecisive and self-protecting and that had he taken different
decisions the Ambassador may have survived. He is reported to have been
strongly defended by the Senate and other investigation committees. The issue,
and this goes to nub of any attempt by the establishment to investigate political
and managerial decisions which immediately appear to have gone badly wrong, must
viewed in terms of the international role and policies of the county in focus and
can only be judged against the broad brush of subsequent history. If Hilary
Clinton becomes President, then it is likely we will see a continuation of
present policy. What happens if Trump wins I fear think
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