The supposed 'stand down' order has been debunked by every investigationHicks testified these troops had highly trained skills that would have been useful to the personnel in Benghazi, who were "exhausted from a night of fighting against very capable opponents."And why were the special forces in Tripoli told to "not board the plane"? They could have saved them
Because those in the compound had already been rescued by the CIA. Smith was dead and the ambassador was missing, the first response team from Tripoli were already in route to the Benghazi Airport. Furthermore they were needed in Tripoli.
"There was every reason to believe our personnel was still in danger," he says, adding he does not know why the Special Forces troops were not allowed to get on the C-130.
He says Lt. Col. Gibson was "furious" that he could not assist the Americans in Benghazi. "That's what he wanted to do."
Top Diplomat in Tripoli: Pentagon Told Special Forces to 'Stand Down'