Why Did The U.S. Rely On A Local Militia To Defend The U.S. Consulate In Benghazi

On the day of the attack, U.S. officials had spotted a police officer taking photos of the compound from a villa under construction across the streets. This was the view the officer would have had of the compound. Nancy A. Youssef/MCT

Diplomats Still In Benghazi Say They Had Long Questioned U.S. Reliance On Local Militia -- McClathcy News

BENGHAZI, Libya — Even before the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, diplomats from other nations and Libyan security officials had questioned the wisdom of a U.S. decision to rely primarily on members of a local militia to protect its compound here.

Diplomats here told McClatchy that while it’s customary to depend on local forces to protect diplomatic missions, only the United States of the 10 or so foreign missions here allowed the local militia to be the first line of defense. The others said they instead depended on military forces from their own country to provide security.

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My Comment: Who made the decision to hire such people .... and why .... will need to be answered.