"The February draft report from the embassy in Tripoli to the State Department paints a picture of the Security Support Team as far more vital to security than the senior State Department official portrayed the group.
The draft was circulated by Joan Polaschik, the deputy chief of the mission in Libya, and emailed to members of the diplomatic corps, the SST team members, and Wood.
"Overall security conditions continue to be unpredictable
, with large numbers of armed groups and individuals not under control of the central government, and frequent clashes in Tripoli and other major population centers," the embassy's request reads. The continued presence of the Security Support Team's was "essential," the report states, "to support our daily moves and a continuing high volume of senior-level visits, provide static security in the absence of an appropriate Local Guard Force … and assist our Mobile Security Detachment (MSD) colleagues in the training of our newly hired LGF members and locally engaged bodyguard force."
Key to understanding the February request and its context is the fact that after it was made, security in Libya devolved even more when it came to the targeting of Westerners.
Polaschik referenced in her February memo how Western targets had not yet been hit, but within months that would change, with
- ,an RPG attack on the Red Cross in Benghazi in May,
- another IED attack on the U.S. post in Benghazi in June,
- an RPG attack on the convoy of the British ambassador to Libya Dominic Asquith a few days after that, and
- another attack on the Red Cross - this time in daylight - causing that relief organization to leave Benghazi....
"In the midst of this uncertain and unstable security environment, Embassy Tripoli has been tasked with a large and growing mandate to support Libya's transition and rebuild the Embassy facilities," the report says. "This policy and management workload translates into a large number of movements that require security support."...
The request concludes: "Given the unstable security environment, projected staffing increases, lack of physical and technical security upgrades in place and continued high volume of VIP visits, Embassy Tripoli requests an extension" of the Security Support Team for four months, which "will allow us to implement the security transition plans recommended by the Department. A loss of SST now would severely and negatively impact our ability to achieve the Department's policy and management objectives at this critical time in Libya's transition."
But ultimately the SST left and "they just had to make do with less security," Wood told ABC News."
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