AFRICOM leader General Carter Ham was never given the order to secure the consulate in Benghazi. This is what the general told Rep. Jason Chaffetz after the 9-11 Benghazi terror attack.
That means only Barack Obama or Defense Secretary Panetta, the two men above the AFRICOM commander, never ordered an operation to secure the consulate. This was despite the many pleas for assistance coming from the consulate and annex.
The Obama Administration replaced General Carter Ham with General David Rodriguez at AFRICOM on October 18.
The US had troops in Sigonella, Italy – about an hour away on 9-11.
The attack went on for at least four hours but US forces were never called in.
UK Armed Forces