WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Among the bombshell revelations is the fact that al Qaeda in Iraq is behind the attacks. The group gained strength after the American troops withdrew from that country. Al Qaeda in Iraq is now known to have sent fighters to Libya to help conduct the operation. 
Al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters are also suspected of aiding the opposition in Syria. 

The late US Ambassador, Chris Stevens even told US officials as early as 2008, that the nearby village of Derna was supplying al Qaeda in Iraq with fighters. 

Previously, the work was believed to be the responsibility of the smaller, less effective Islamic Maghreb, a North African al Qaeda affiliate. Now knowing that al Qaeda in Iraq was involved suggests that the attacks were far more sophisticated than previously thought. 

Intelligence officials say the well-organized attack came in two waves. The first wave contained 35 to 40 fighters with at least a dozen of them being connected to al Qaeda in Iraq or Islamic Maghreb. A second wave struck a smaller compound about a mile away a few hours later. 

Both attacks produced two American fatalities each. 

Other fighters are believed to be tied to extremist groups in both Egypt and Tunisia. At least one of the attackers is said to have been arrested in Turkey and deported to custody in Tunisia, but the US has been denied access to him. 

The FBI and CIA are still investigating the matter, according to Obama administration officials. 


Now public emails suggest that the White House was made aware of the true nature of the attacks in Benghazi within hours. Despite these understandings, President Obama continued to blame the attacks on a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim video posted to YouTube in the US. It is now known that no protests were actually occurring in Libya. 

It remains unclear just why Obama chose to lie to the American people about the attacks, and why he persisted in that lie, even after the emails and other evidence of terrorism came to light. 

Republicans are pointing to this as a failure of the Obama administration's foreign and security policies. Obama says he did everything he could with the information he had. 

That statement is functionally correct. He took the information he had, and lied to the American people. 

© 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.