Obama's Inflexible Goals Make the World Less Safe

A team of US Special Operations Forces and the FBI has captured a man long thought to be a key leader in the 11 September 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack that killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. The announcement was made by Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby : "I can confirm that on Sunday, June 15, the US military - in cooperation with law enforcement personnel - captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, a key figure in the attacks on US facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. There were no civilian casualties in the raid, and the suspect is in US custody at a "secure location outside of Libya." Kirby said all US troops and personnel have "safely departed Libya." Another source told Fox News : "He didn't know what hit him." Other sources said there was no firefight. After similar raids, the United States has held suspects aboard naval ships before flying them to America. Khattala is expected to be questioned by a special team of US interrogators for potential intelligence leads for the next few days, senior US officials told ABC News, but eventually he will be tried in federal court in Washington, DC, where the US filed charges last year against Khattala and a dozen others in connection with the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. Only Khattala, who is expected to be arraigned in Washington, has been apprehended. A one-page criminal complaint against Khattala unsealed Tuesday accuses him of "killing a person in the course of an action on a federal facility," providing and conspiring to provide "material support to terrorists resulting in death" and using a firearm in relation to a violent crime. Attorney General Eric Holder said the US reserves the right to add charges "in the coming days." Khattala is the commander of the terrorist group Ansar al-Sharia. He had openly granted media interviews after the attack, but until now had evaded capture. One US official told the Washington Post that Khattala's capture is "a reminder that when the United States says it's going to hold someone accountable and he will face justice, this is what we mean." ~~~~~ Reuters reported today that Libya has condemned the United States for capturing Khatallah, describing the arrest as a violation of Libyan sovereignty. President Obama authorized Sunday's US Special Forces operation inside Libya. The action is very sensitive for the weak Libyan government which is under pressure from militias, islamists and armed tribesmen who helped topple Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 but now defy state authority. Libyan Justice Minister Saleh al-Marghani said Khatallah should be returned to Libya and tried there : "We had no prior notification. We expect the world to help us with security. We expected the United States to help us, but we did not expect the United States to upset the political scene." He said Khattala had been wanted by Libyan authorities for questioning but they had been unable to arrest him due to the security situation. Diplomats say Libya has done next to nothing to make arrests over the 2012 consulate attack in which four Americans died - because the government has little influence in Benghazi. Libyan foreign ministry spokesman Said a Saoud said : "This attack on Libyan sovereignty happened at a time when Benghazi is suffering from many problems." He asked that Khatallah receive a fair trial. A similar US Special Forces operation that captured al Qaida suspect Abu Anas al-Liby in Tripoli in October 2013 had serious consequences for the Libyan government -- a militia briefly kidnapped the then prime minister, Ali Zeidan, from his hotel suite, accusing him of having known about the operation. Al-Liby was later charged in a US federal court in New York in connection with the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Kenya, which killed more than 200 people. ~~~~~ President Obama confirmed Tuesday that Khattala is on his way to America to face charges : "He is now being transported back to the United States. I say that, first of all, because we continue to think about and pray for the families of those who were killed during that terrible attack. But more importantly...for us to send a message to the world that when Americans are attacked, no matter how long it takes, we will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice." ~~~~~ Sonce 2012, Republicans have accused the Obama administration of playing down the role of al-Qaida in the Benghazi attack for political reasons. They said then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the safety of American diplomatic personnel, an issue that is still sensitive as Clinton considers running for US president in 2016. Republicans cheered Kattala's capture and praised the Special Forces and FBI, but they demanded that Khattala be held at Guantanamo Bay and questioned thoroughly. President Obama, however, has decided not to send Khattala to Guantanamo, said National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden : "The administration’s policy is clear on this issue : We have not added a single person to the GTMO population since President Obama took office, and we have had substantial success delivering swift justice to terrorists through our federal court system." Key Republicans commented on how Khattala should be dealt with. House Speaker John Boehner said : "It is obviously good news that this terrorist is now in American custody. I am grateful for the work of our military, assisted by the FBI, in capturing him...and I expect the administration to give our military professionals time to properly gather any useful intelligence he has." Four Senators - John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz - said that Khattala should be viewed as an enemy combatant and held at the US prison camp at Guantanamo. McCain told the Washington Post : "Obviously he should be put on trial. I'd bring him to Guantanamo. Where else can you take him to?" Graham told the Post that Khattala should not be read his Miranda rights : "I hope we gather intelligence through the law of war interrogation. He should be going to Gitmo." Rubio said : "the Obama administration should immediately transfer him to the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay...In order to locate all individuals associated with the attacks that led to the deaths of four Americans, we need intelligence." And Cruz said that Khattala : "has been openly defying the United States for more than 20 months. Now that he is in custody, the proper authorities should be given ample time to assess what intelligence he may have about ongoing terrorist operations against Americans. Khattala is a foreign terrorist, captured by our Special Forces overseas...He belongs in Guantanamo and in the military justice system, not in the US civilian court system with the constitutional protections afforded US citizens." Last month, Speaker Boehner established a select committee to investigate the Benghazi attacks, which is chaired by Representative Trey Gowdy, a former prosecutor, who has since charged that he has evidence of a "systematic, intentional" effort by the Obama administration to withhold documents from Congress about the Benghazi attacks. Representative Peter King, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told the Post : "The American people and the families of the victims deserve answers on this attack. As with all detained al-Qaida-affiliated extremists, I hope Khattala will be treated as an enemy combatant...Obtaining information and intelligence from this terrorist must be our first priority." House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa called Khattala's arrest "long overdue" : "Our military deserves credit for conducting a successful opetation. There is evidence that he is one of dozens, if not hundreds of individuals, involved in the murder of four Americans in Benghazi. The Obama administration has an obligation to share whatever information he offers with Chairman Gowdy and the select committee about events before and during the Benghazi attacks." No GOP legislators expressed support for torturing Khattala. ~~~~~ Dear readers, Senator Jim Inhofe touched the real issue surrounding Khattala not being sent to Guantanamo : "Once again, the President has made the wrong decision on how our nation should be handling terrorists that are a threat to Americans and our national security...The president is more focused on his legacy of closing Guantanamo Bay than preventing future terrorist attacks like what happened in Benghazi." Obama has the same inflexible goal of keeping US troops out of the Middle East. Both Obama goals are wrong. Flexibility to protect America and her allies is the right goal -- whatever it takes.