So, again, my point is, this is a highly volatile area. The attack was coordinated. Further, the Marines were clearly heavily outnumbered. So, basically, someone sent a couple of lightly armed Marines out Mogadishu style. Is that about right?
They contracted security to Libyan nationals who melted into the scenery, right?
Roughly, reports are hazy, this is how it went down:
Unarmed “protesters” using the cover of the Cairo embassy protest went to the lightly protected consulate office in Benghazi. They gathered a crowd but made no incursion, just chanting.
Militants from the Shaykh Omar Abdulrahman Brigades, an AQ affiliate responsible for a number of bombings and shootings in Libya staged the initially peaceful protest as a cover for the planned assassination of Ambassador Stevens.
Ambassador Stevens with two Marine guards and a visiting USAF communication specialist decided to drive to the consulate to either manage the situation or help evacuate to a nearby safe house. The consulate security was composed of Libyan nationals whom were advised of the travel of Stevens.
It appears that a Libyan security guard was in league with the Shaykh Omar Abdulrahman Brigades and advised them on the ambush timing.
As the ambassador’s vehicle neared the consulate it was hit with an RPG and disabled. Steven’s and the other three then engaged a running gunfight until they could get to the consulate.
The consulate was then attacked with RPG’s and small arms until they evacuated to a safe house nearby. The Marine guards likely died as a rear guard.
The double agent Libyan security guard likely tipped off the militants as to the safe house location that was then attacked and set on fire. The occupants were trapped and suffered smoke inhalation, the cause of death of Ambassador Stevens.
The militants withdrew and the remaining occupants of the safe house exfiltrated as they were able. Friendly Libyans found Stevens and carried him to the hospital where he was declared dead.
The attack was in retaliation for the killing of AQ#2 Abu Yahya al-Libi in June. This attack was likely planned and led by Abdulbasit Azuz, a long-time associate of Ayman al-Zawahiri. Azuz is old school AQ muj, fought the Russians in Afghanistan.
Azuz was sent by Zawahiri to Libya from Pakistan in early 2011 to start a branch of AQ. They have a training camp near Derna, Libya with about 30 militants. They are connected to the AQ in the Islamic Maghreb that are well established to the west and likely participated in the raid also.