US is moving to create an elite Libyan Force to combat the Islamic extremists in Libya and diverting funds for it’s build up from the aid budgeted for Pakistan.
The Congress has given the approval to provide USD 8 million for the proposed force from Pentagon operations, the New York Times said amid reports that White House has put special operations strike forces on standby and moved drones into the skies above Africa, ready to strike militant targets from Libya to Mali.
The Times quoting military sources said the new force will basically act as a quick reaction force and would be responsible to counter the militants like those who attacked the US embassy in Libya last month which killed the US Ambassador and three other Americans.
Libya is facing problems in controlling the Islamic extremist after the ouster of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi.
‘USD 8 million from pentagon operations and counter terrorism aid budgeted for Pakistan would be used to built the elite force over the next year,’ the paper quoted American official as saying.
US special operations forces which are training the forces in Pakistan and Yemen may be responsible for the training of this elite commando force. US is also planning to provide an additional USD 4 million to help the Libyan government in controlling the porous borders of Libya.
US Secretary to Libya Leon Panetta last year had indicated towards formation of an elite force in the country and US help in forming it.
CLINTON TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECURITY FAILURE IN LIBYA
In an effort to deflate the Republican attack from the White House ahead of presidential elections, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday took the ‘responsibility’ for the failure to defend the attack on the US Consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead.
‘I take responsibility... I take this very personally,’ Clinton told the CNN in Lima, the capital of Peru.
‘So we’re going to get to the bottom of it, and then we’re going to do everything we can to work to prevent it from happening again, and then we’re going to work to bring whoever did this to us to justice,’ she said.
Clinton was responding to questions on terrorist attack on the Benghazi Consulate last month that left US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three others dead.
The Obama Administration initially attributed this to an anti-Islam video that resulted in an instant protest. Later, the administration dubbed it as a terrorist attack. Last week, Vice President Joe Biden said the White House did not know of requests to enhance security at Benghazi, contradicting testimony by State Department employees that requests had been made and rejected. ‘In the wake of an attack like this, in the fog of war, there’s always going to be confusion. I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence. Everyone who spoke tried to give the information that they had. As time has gone on, that information has changed. That always happens,’ Clinton said.
The Congress has given the approval to provide USD 8 million for the proposed force from Pentagon operations, the New York Times said amid reports that White House has put special operations strike forces on standby and moved drones into the skies above Africa, ready to strike militant targets from Libya to Mali.
The Times quoting military sources said the new force will basically act as a quick reaction force and would be responsible to counter the militants like those who attacked the US embassy in Libya last month which killed the US Ambassador and three other Americans.
Libya is facing problems in controlling the Islamic extremist after the ouster of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi.
‘USD 8 million from pentagon operations and counter terrorism aid budgeted for Pakistan would be used to built the elite force over the next year,’ the paper quoted American official as saying.
US special operations forces which are training the forces in Pakistan and Yemen may be responsible for the training of this elite commando force. US is also planning to provide an additional USD 4 million to help the Libyan government in controlling the porous borders of Libya.
US Secretary to Libya Leon Panetta last year had indicated towards formation of an elite force in the country and US help in forming it.
CLINTON TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECURITY FAILURE IN LIBYA
In an effort to deflate the Republican attack from the White House ahead of presidential elections, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday took the ‘responsibility’ for the failure to defend the attack on the US Consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead.
‘I take responsibility... I take this very personally,’ Clinton told the CNN in Lima, the capital of Peru.
‘So we’re going to get to the bottom of it, and then we’re going to do everything we can to work to prevent it from happening again, and then we’re going to work to bring whoever did this to us to justice,’ she said.
Clinton was responding to questions on terrorist attack on the Benghazi Consulate last month that left US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three others dead.
The Obama Administration initially attributed this to an anti-Islam video that resulted in an instant protest. Later, the administration dubbed it as a terrorist attack. Last week, Vice President Joe Biden said the White House did not know of requests to enhance security at Benghazi, contradicting testimony by State Department employees that requests had been made and rejected. ‘In the wake of an attack like this, in the fog of war, there’s always going to be confusion. I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence. Everyone who spoke tried to give the information that they had. As time has gone on, that information has changed. That always happens,’ Clinton said.