The 9/11 Attack By Al-Qaeda

DATE AND TIME PUBLISHED: 29/6/2021 (TUESDAY), 11:27 AM

WRITTEN BY: KAM2284D

1. NOR NADIA BINTI AZMAN (2020899318)

2. INTAN NAZIFA BINTI JONID (2020899312)

3. SITI NAJIHA BINTI SHAIFUL NIZAM (2020862062)

4. MUHAMMAD ILHAM BIN MOHD AZHARI  (2020608314)

5. AZREEN SHAHIRA BINTI MD ASRI (2020483726)

 

TOPIC: THE SEPTEMBER 2018 ATTACKS BY AL-QAEDA

 

1.0 INTRODUCTION

    The abbreviation "9/11" refers to four coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist organisation, on September 11, 2001. Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial jets, slamming two of them into the upper floors of the World Trade Centre complex's North and South Towers and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Because of the damage caused by the collisions and the subsequent flames, the Twin Towers eventually fell. Passengers aboard the fourth hijacked jet, Flight 93, fought back after learning of the other attacks, and the plane crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania, roughly 20 minutes by air from Washington, D.C.

    The assaults claimed the lives of 2,977 individuals from 93 countries. There were 2,753 people murdered in New York, 184 people died in the Pentagon, and 40 people killed on Flight 93 (n.d., 2021). It was the most serious attack on US soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in 1941. This sparked massive US counter-terrorism measures and helped define George W. Bush's administration.

    After the Taliban refused to hand up Osama Bin Laden, the architect of the attacks, Operation Enduring Freedom started on October 7, 2001, with American and British bombing operations in Afghanistan against al Qaeda and Taliban troops. Allied troops faced with a tenacious Taliban insurgency, infrastructure restoration, and corruption within the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and Afghan Border Police for a long time after the Taliban were ousted from power and al Qaeda was severely damaged. Bin Laden would be forced to flee the country for over a decade.

    On May 2, 2011, US Navy SEALs raided Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, at night, murdering the al Qaeda leader. Although coalition soldiers remained on the ground to assist with the training of Afghan security forces, Operation Enduring Freedom officially concluded on December 28, 2014. In September 2021, American soldiers are scheduled to leave Afghanistan. ( U.S. Navy, 2021)

 

2.0 WHAT, WHY, WHERE, WHO (INCIDENT)

    The September 11 Attacks or know as 9/11 by Al-Qaeda is actually a sequence of four arranged terrorist attacks against United States. The Attack happened on the morning of Tuesday, 11th September 2001 which the plane that from the Northeastern United States were hijacked in mid-flight by 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists. The four planes that were hijacked were two from United Airlines and one each from American Airlines and United Airlines. The Attack that happened amazingly for the first time in the history of 21st Century, also referred to as "9/11" or "9-11" and popularly known as "WTC Attack" was a very spectacular event in which many lives were lost. The day of September 11 went down in History as one of the most tragic, devastating, horrible and inhuman attack ever happen on the people of America. The events were so intense that it made everyone around the Globe to gape their eyes wide open and left them speechless.

    The crashed of the two planes on the North and South Towers has caused another 110 story towers to collapse as well.  Not only that, the collapse of the World Trade Centre has become the start of the collapse of the other structures. The other plane was hijacked over Ohio which has crashed the west side of the Pentagon that is the headquarters of American military and another two planes were crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvannia and one plane was crash into White House.

    The perpetrators that been suspected is Al-Qaeda. It has been said so as US formally launch War on Terror and invade Afghanistan to get rid the Taliban as well as Al-Qaeda. The attack was carried out due to US action which supports Israel, support of Philippines in Moro Conflict, support Russian in Chechnya about atrocities against Muslims, support Indian that does oppression against Muslims in Kashmir, having US troops in Saudi Arabia and has make sanctions against Iraq. Therefore Al-Qaeda has used strategy such as aircrafts hijackings, suicide attacks, and mass murder kind of attacks which has caused 2996 of death and about 25,000 people that injured on that day.

    The attack that been carried out has cost large loss for United State especially in term of economic, health issues, cultural influence and policies towards terrorism.

 

3.0 REVIEW

3.1 CHALLENGES

3.1.1 HIGH NUMBER OF CIVILIAN DEATHS AND INJURIES

    The 9/11 attacks by al-Qaeda terrorists have left many innocent civilians dead and thousands injured. A total of 2,977 victims and all 19 hijackers were killed in the attack. According to the New York State Department of Health, as of June 2009, a total of 836 people who acted to provide assistance for the tragedy, including firefighters and police had died. Among the 2,752 victims killed in the attack at the World Trade Center were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority. Another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. Most of the victims were civilians, including citizens of 70 countries.

    The total of 6000 people have been identified as also injured from the incident. this incident was very heartbreaking when the family members of the victim felt very shocked and some are still traumatized to this day. This is one of the most horrific events that has ever happened. The us government also lamented and admitted they could do nothing about the incident other than help out the victims who were in distress.

3.1.2 SEVERE INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE

    The incident not only claimed lives, but also damaged the city's infrastructure. This damage to infrastructure has worried the US government because it can cause problems to the country's administrative system. The hijackers deliberately crashed two planes towards the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Both towers collapsed within an hour and 42 minutes, causing nearby buildings to be destroyed or damaged. They also crashed a third plane toward the Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, in Washington. The fourth plane crashed near the town of Shanksville in the state of Pennsylvania.

    The buildings and structures belonging to the World Trade Center complex, the North Tower (1 World Trade Center), the South Tower (2 World Trade Centers), the Marriott Hotel (3 World Trade Centers) and 7 World Trade Centers were completely destroyed, while 4 World Trade Center, 5 World Trade Center, One Liberty Plaza, U.S. Customs Office (6 World Trade Center), and both pedestrian bridges were badly damaged. The Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street suffered partial damage and had to be demolished later. Furthermore, both World Financial Center buildings were also damaged. This damage has made it one of the largest damage that has occurred causing concern to countries around the world because it also involves the world bank.

3.1.3 FAILED TO IDENTIFY THE SYSTEMATIC PLANS OF THE AL-QAEDA   

    Great criticism has been given to the US military system for failing to identify the very meticulous plans made by the terrorist group. This is because the United States is a strong country from all angles including their security control system. Unfortunately, they failed to track down the plans made by the group.

    Khalid that involves in 9/11 attacks took the first steps in assembling the body of intelligence that would make the attacks possible. Relying on open source intelligence, Khalid compiled data from Western aviation magazines, telephone directories for U.S. cities, airline timetables, and conducted Internet searches on U.S. flight schools. This intelligence was supplemented by flight simulator software and information gleaned from movies depicting hijackings. Some of these early intelligence efforts may have been an attempt to generate ideas and identify possible vulnerabilities. Khalid, therefore, organized a short course for the operatives in Karachi, which included techniques on how to conduct reconnaissance on flights. Although rudimentary in nature, these instructions proved critical in bringing the attack to fruition by encouraging the operatives to probe for vulnerabilities in the routine behavior of the flight crew. This such detailed plans have paid off for the terrorist forces and left the us government as a nation that have weak security system.

3.2 SIGNIFICANCE

    Bin Laden gave his public fatwa on February 23, 1998. The wording had been negotiated for a long time as part of Bin Laden's organization's merger with Zawahiri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad. On May 7, Mohammed Atef, the deputy chairman of al Qaeda's military council, sent a fresh fatwa issued by a group of sheikhs in Afghanistan to Bin Laden's London headquarters.

    It was published a week later in Al Quds al Arabi, the same Arabic-language journal in London that had originally published Bin Laden's February fatwa, with the identical message: "It is the responsibility of Muslims to wage holy war against the enemies of Islam and remove the Americans from the Gulf area."

    Bin Laden gave a recorded interview to ABC News two weeks later, repeating the same phrases and adding, "We do not distinguish between those clothed in military clothes and civilians. This fatwa has them all as targets.” (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, n.d.)

    As the terrorists lacked the military capability to harm the US, they chose symbolic targets instead. As the World Trade Center's centrepieces, the Twin Towers represented globalisation as well as America's economic strength and wealth. As the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, the Pentagon serves as a symbol of American military might. Flight 93 was believed to be on its way to the Capitol, the seat of American legislative power.

    Al-Qaeda thought that by assaulting these symbols of American power, they would instil widespread panic across the country and severely erode the US's position in the international community, therefore advancing its political and religious aims in the Middle East and the Muslim world. (n.d., 2021)

3.3 FACTORS

3.3.1 Provocation against the actions of the United States

    After competing with Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, Saudi nationalist Osama bin Laden organized an unconventional network of fighters known as Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden believes that U.S. military deployments in Saudi Arabia during the 1990-1991 Gulf War violated the sacred spaces around Mecca and Medina, and in 1996, he essentially declared war on the United States. From shelters in Sudan and then Afghanistan, bin Laden and his allies organized a series of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 1993, American military barracks in Saudi Arabia in 1996, U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and ships US Navy in Aden Harbor in 2000 (Insights, 2019).

    In addition, after the attack, bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri released additional video footage and audio footage, some of which reiterated the reasons for the attack. Two very important publications were Laden's 2002 "Letter to America" by Laden and bin Laden's 2004 videotape. In an interview in December 1999, bin Laden said that he felt that Americans were “too close to Mecca” and used this as a provocation to the rest of the Muslim world (Reuters., 2019.). The attack had a profound and lasting impact on the country, the special content of U.S. policy and domestic Pres. George W. Bush declared a global “war on terror,” and long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq followed. Meanwhile, security measures in the United States were tightened, especially at airports. To aid the recovery of the domestic response (Bergen, n.d.). Several analysts, including Mearsheimer and Walt, also claim that supporting the United States against Israel was one of the motives for the attack (Reuters., 2019.).

3.4 IMPACTS

3.4.1 Many Innocent Lives Were Sacrificed

    When the 9/11 attack took place, a total of 2,996 victims as well as 19 terrorists that hijacked the aeroplanes were killed during the attack. Here, citizens from 78 different countries died in locations such as New York, Washington as well as Pennsylvania (History, 2018).

    At location known as World Trade Center, a total of 2763 had died when the two aeroplanes collided into the twin towers. Public officials were sacrificed here such as a total of 343 firefighters as well as paramedics, a total of 23 New York officers and a total of 37 police from Port Authority died during the evacuation process of the buildings and to safe some of the workers that were trapped on top floors (History, 2018). At location known as Pentagon, a total of 189 people died which included 64 American who were on board using American Airlines Flight 77. On the other hand, Flight number 93 had caused the lives of 44 people to be dead when the plane landed badly in location located in Pennsylvania (History, 2018).

3.4.2 Operation To Find Osama Bin Laden Was Decided (Operation Enduring Freedom)

    At approximately 9 PM, former United States President, George W. Bush had declared that the 9/11 attacks by the terrorist can leave an impact on the foundation of America’s biggest building, but the terrorist will not be able to touch the America foundation. An operation called Operation Enduring Freedom was a response from the 9/11 attacks. The operation is known as the international effort led by American to force out the regime of Taliban located in Afghanistan as well as to abolished Osama Bin Laden’s network of terrorist based in Afghanistan. This operation had begun on October 7, 2001. The mastermind behind September 11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden was tracked down on May 2, 2011 and was killed by the United States forces at a hideout located in Abbottabad, Pakistan (History, 2018).

3.4.3 The Establishment of Department of Homeland Security

    Due to the security fears caused by the 9/11 attacks as well as the letters that was exposed to anthrax which had killed two as well as 17 people were infected by the Anthrax. This is known as the act of bioterrorism. Due to these factors, the Department of Homeland Security was established in November 25, 2002. In the current world, the Department of Homeland Security plays an important role to prevent the attacks from terrorists, protect border security, customs and immigrations as well as the relief and prevention of disaster. Two days later on November 27, 2002, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks was formed in the United States. The commission was assigned to investigate on matters pertaining to 9/11 attacks (History, 2018).

3.4.4 Economical Impact

    The United States had suffered from negative economy impacts due to the 9/11 attacks. Quite a number of institutions which included the New York Stock exchange were evacuated when the attack took place. During the first day trading after the attacks, the market had decreased to 7.1% which is similar to a total of 684 points. Many people had suffered from lost of jobs which were a total of 143,000 jobs within a month and a total of 2.8 billion dollar wages. This lasted for about 3 months. The agency that suffered huge lost were the finance and air transportation which had resulted in 60% of unemployment. The World Trade Center had caused a huge amount of money in order to cope with the damage. This damage had cost $60 billion. In order to clean debris located at Grounded Zero, the cost was $750 million (History, 2018).

3.4.5 Compensation Fund Was Created

    Many people had been affected by the 9/11 attack especially those living and working in Manhattan which was near to Ground Zero. These people had been exposed to fumes of toxic as well as particles caused by the burned buildings. In 2018, a total number of 10,000 people were confirmed to suffer from cancer related to 9/11.

    In 2001 until 2004, a huge compensation amounted to $7 billion dollars were passed to those affected by the tragedy of 9/11 which includes the victims’ families, and a total of 2,680 people who suffered from injuries due to the attack. This funding was then renewed on 2 January 2011. This renewal, “The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act into law was signed by the former United States President, Barack Obama. In the year 2015, a funding treatment for 9/11 illness has been renewed for the duration of five more years which amounted to $7.4 billion. The compensation fund was officially set in order to stop receiving claims in 2020 (History, 2018).

3.5 RECOMMENDATIONS

3.5.1 Sharing Information

    The government of United States was exposed with various kinds of access to information. However, the government had a weak system when it comes to processing and utilising certain things. The “need to know” kind of system needs to be replaced to “need to share” kind of system.

        The leader which was the President needs to be in charged of the government-wide effort in order to put the institutions of major national security into a revolution of information. This means, changing the main system into a network which is decentralised. It is impossible for every organisations to resolve the problems encountered by themselves. In order to build a good network, an effort such as beat divides, resolved legal and policy issues that are common effectively. Thus, to tackle information problems, everyone in every agency needs to show effort in sharing and show unity with one and another (Zelikow, Kojm, & Marcus, 2004).

3.5.2 Biometric Screening System

    When tourist travels to other countries, they will need to apply for visa or passport. Tourist will stop at counters such as ticket counters, gates as well as exits at airports. When the tourists arrived, they will undergo inspections process at points of inspection. Each of these points of inspection will be placed with a biometric screening system. This will give the officers the chance in analysing or investigating if the tourist is who he or she claimed to be. Biometrics screening system will identify physical characteristics which includes facial recognition, fingerprints as well as iris scans. The person who should be in charged of this biometric inspection are immigration or law enforcement officers and these officials will be equipped with trainings in order to run the biometric screening system. This biometric screening will not exclude Americans. Their identities need to be verified first when entering or exiting the border (Zelikow, Kojm, & Marcus, 2004). By using biometric system, members of terrorist will not be able to enter the flight and hijack it.

 

4.0 CONCLUSION

    It can be concluded, this attack is a devastating attack that causes death as well as damage. This has been a lesson to all parties quite always be vigilant and vigilant to areas that are capable of being vulnerable to terrorist activities. The 9/11 attacks provide strong evidence of the capacity of intelligence and counterintelligence to lead to outcomes consistent with Al Qaeda’s strategic and symbolic objectives. These critical operational tools allowed Al Qaeda to accurately evaluate its operating environment and construct plans that could lead to a carefully crafted and choreographed act of violence. In other words, the government needs to be more efficient and always consistent in governing the country so that such incidents do not happen again.

5.0 REFERENCES

Britannica. (2019, September 18). September 11 attacks - The attacks. Encyclopedia jhsjshdBritannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks/The-attacks

History.com Editors. (2020, October 16). September 11 Attacks. HISTORY.   shshshhttps://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, June 13). September 11 attacks. Wikipedia. shsjhjhhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

Gaetano Joe Ilardi (2009) The 9/11 Attacks—A Study of Al Qaeda's Use of Intelligence and gshsshsCounterintelligence, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32:3, 171-187, DOI: shshshs10.1080/10576100802670803. Retrieved from: shsshshhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10576100802670803 

Bergen, P. L. (n.d.). September 11 attacks. Retrieved from www.britannica.com: https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks

Insights, O. S. (2019, August). What caused 9/11 — and the consequences that linger. Retrieved from insights.osu.edu: https://insights.osu.edu/politics/causes-9-11

Reuters. (2019., July 29). September 11 attacks. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks#Motives

History. (2018, August 25). September 11 Attacks. Retrieved from History: https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

Zelikow, P., Kojm, C. A., & Marcus, D. (2004). The 9/11 Commission Report. United States: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

U.S. Navy. (2021, May 13). September 11th Terrorist Attack. Retrieved from Naval History and Heritage Command: https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/sept-11-attack.html

n.d. (2021). 9/11 FAQs. Retrieved from 9/11 Memorial & Museum: https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. (n.d.). THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

 

 6.0 APPENDIX

Figure 1 : September 11 attacks

 

September 2012 Benghazi Attack By Ansar Al-Sharia

  DATE AND TIME PUBLISHED: 20/6/2021 (Sunday), 8.30 PM

WRITTEN BY: KAM2284D

1. NOR NADIA BINTI AZMAN (2020899318)

2. INTAN NAZIFA BINTI JONID (2020899312)

3. SITI NAJIHA BINTI SHAIFUL NIZAM (2020862062)

4. MUHAMMAD ILHAM BIN MOHD AZHARI (2020608314)

5. AZREEN SHAHIRA BINTI MD ASRI (2020483726)

 

TOPIC : SEPTEMBER 2012 BENGHAZI ATTACK BY ANSAR AL-SHARIA

1. INTRODUCTION

The Benghazi attack took place on 11 September 2012. The attacked took place in the Benghazi, Libya, against two United States government facilities. This attack has killed 4 people and injured 11 others exclude the attackers. The attack was carried out by the terrorist group Ansar al-sharia. The group is also linked to the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Members of Ansar al-Sharia attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi resulting in the deaths of both United States Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.

Ansar al-Sharia (Proponents of Islamic Law) is a Jihad group that supports the implementation of Sharia Law throughout Libya. Founded in 2011, the group consists of Ansar al-Sharia Derna and the Ansar al-Sharia Brigades in Benghazi. Ansar al-Sharia was formed during the Libyan Civil War and rose to prominence after the killing of Muammar Gaddafi. Made up of former rebels from the Abu Obayda Bin Aljarah Brigade, Malik Brigade and February 17th Martyrs Brigade and several other groups the Salafist militia initially made their name by posting videos of themselves fighting in the Battle of Sirte, the final battle in the war. Ansar al-Sharia is mostly concentrated in Benghazi and is an unknown number of former militia rebels. The group came to international attention after its role in the American Benghazi attacks. After facing a lot of good reactions from Libya and abroad, the group tried to recreate a rebranding, including denouncing terrorism.

The Ansar al-Sharia group has been involved in social services and charity work in recent years, although foreign and local intelligence claims it is involved with other extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda. Until January 2015 this group was led by Muhammad as-Zahawi. The organization declared its formal dissolution on May 27, 2017, following devastating casualties that took out the majority of its leadership and devastated its warriors.

2. THE INCIDENT OF SEPTEMBER 2012 BENGHAZI ATTACK BY ANSAR AL-SHARIA (WHAT, WHY, WHERE, WHO)

            On 11^th until 12^th September 2012, Benghazi located in Libya was attacked by a group of international terrorists called Ansar-Al Sharia. The attack had sacrificed lives such as United States Ambassador to Libya, Stevens and Foreign Service Officer, Smith.  

            The terrorist act happened in different locations which were Department of State or known as Temporary Mission Facility and the facility of Annex. During the incident on 11^th September, United States Ambassador to Libya, Stevens were accompanied by a total of two Diplomatic Security who had travelled to Benghazi with Stevens. Foreign Service Officer, Sean Smith was also present in Benghazi along with 3 others Diplomatic Security agents. These people were assigned at the Temporary Mission Facility. Here, Libyan officials such as Libyan militia as well as a total number of four unarmed local guards were protecting the area of Temporary Mission Facility (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            On 11^th September 2012, the Ambassador had attended several meetings during the day time and later went back to assigned room at around 9 PM at night local time. Approximately 40 minutes later, the agents occupying the area as well as the guards had heard loud noises such as shouting, gunfire and an explosion coming from the gate. When this happened, the Diplomatic Security quickly reached for the alarm and quicky informed another United States Embassy which was at Tripoli. The headquarters of Diplomatic Security in Washington was also alerted upon this attack. Diplomatic Security headquarters was on the line with Diplomatic Security personnel in Libya during the attack (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            During the commencement of the attack, a total of four agents from Diplomatic Security and Foreign Service Officer, Smith were in or near the same building as the Ambassador was resting that night. The fifth Diplomatic Security agent was in the Tactical Operations Centre when the attack happened. The ambassador, Steven and Foreign Service Officer, Smith as well as a Diplomatic Security agent took a shelter in the safe spot located in the building. This safe spot was designed specially to hide from the intruders or terrorists. The other Diplomatic agents went to find weapons and on their way back to protect the United States officials, the Diplomatic Security had encountered with the members of Ansar Al-Sharia (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            The terrorist members had set several areas on fire by pouring diesel fuel as well as entering several buildings withing the area. The terrorist tried to enter the Tactical Operations Centre but failed to do so. However, the attackers managed to enter the building where the United States Embassy was in along with Diplomatic Security agents. The terrorist members decided to pour diesel fuel surrounding the building where the Ambassador was in. When the attackers provoked fire by igniting the diesel fuel, this had result in thick smoke occupying the building. The smoke started to become thicker than before and this was when the Diplomatic Security agent tried to escape from a nearby window by assisting the Ambassador, Stevens and Foreign Service Officer, Smith out from the building as it became harder to breath due to the thick smoke. When the Diplomatic Security agent stepped out of the window, the Diplomatic Security agent became separated from both the Embassy and Foreign Service Officer. The agent decided to alert the Tactical Operations Centre for back up and went back to the building to search for these two United States Officials. The Foreign Service Officer’s body, Smith was found and managed to be removed. Smith died due to the thick smoke. However, the United States Embassy, Stevens were nowhere to be found (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            When the Annex was informed upon the terrorist attack, Annex personnel had reached out to the February 2017 Brigade, militias as well as the government of Libyan in order to seek for assistance. At around 10.04 PM Libyan local time, a total of six security personnel as well as a translator from Annex went to the facility. When the time reached 10.25 PM, the security personnel from Annex earlier had encountered with the group of terrorists. Here, a total of 15 minutes weapon fights occurred between the security personnel and members of Ansar-Al Sharia. When the fight ended at 10.40 PM the security personnel entered the Embassy’s building once again but was unable to find the Ambassador (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            At around 11.15 PM, the security personnel had escorted the Diplomatic Security Agents that were suffering from thick smoke inhalation due to continuous search for the Ambassador and Foreign Service Officer back to Annex. When the Americans had successfully returned to Annex, an attack had happened caused by rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) as well as small arms fire. The attack stopped at around 1.01 AM (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            The United States security officials who were based in Tripoli location had been deployed to Benghazi by using the aircraft after being informed of the terrorist attack and had arrived at approximately 1.15 AM. Here, the United States security personnel had went through a negotiation process with Libyan authorities regarding logistic matters for about 3 hours. The negotiation lasted quite some time due to discussion regarding rescue efforts was unclear. At around 5.04 AM, the team had finally arrived in Annex. At 10 minutes before, a new assault had occur which included mortal rounds fired at the Annex. At 5.26 AM the attack has been silent. It was found that the security team members which were Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty dead as well as two others were wounded. Libyan forces, not militia had arrived around 6 AM with a total of 50 vehicles and had escorted the Americans to the airport (Lieberman & Collins, 2012).

            Earlier, the United States Embassy was  nowhere to be found. At around 2 AM, the Embassy in Tripoli had received a call telling the United States Embassador, Stevens had been rushed to a hospital in Benghazi. An official form Libyan was assigned to Benghazi Medical Centre and had confirmed that Stevens were there. According to a hospital staff, a total of six locals of Libya brought Stevens to the emergency room at around 1.15 AM. However, Stevens had failed to be alive even when the doctors tried to revive the United States Embassador for approximately 45 minutes (Mungin, 2012). It has been reported that the members of Ansar Al-Sharia were involved in the September 11, 2012 attacks in Benghazi. It has been confirmed that the Libyan leader of Ansar Al-Sharia, Ahmed Abu Khattala played a significant role behind the September 2012 Benghazi attack (Hsu, 2018)

3. REVIEW

3.1 CHALLENGES

3.1.1 Political Instability in Libya.

Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi authoritarian leadership of Libya came to an end in February 2011. Libya was engulfed in violence between anti-government factions and Qadhafi's administration from February to October 2011. On October 20, 2011, opposition forces seized Sirte, the final stronghold of Qadhafi, and murdered him. Qadhafi's death put an end to the uprising, but it left the question of who would govern Libya and how they would do it open.

Libyans resorted to the interim Transitional National Council (TNC), created in the spring of 2011, to strengthen security and begin the process of re-establishing national institutions within days after Qadhafi's death. The TNC, on the other hand, had several difficulties, including “struggling to settle the combustible regional and factional rivalries or impose authority even over its own militias.” The TNC had to deal with different armed factions that "remained a law unto itself" since no coherent opposition force emerged from the civil war.

Libyan voters elected 200 members to the General National Congress in the first national election since 1965 on July 7, 2012. The election of the General National Congress was a huge political success, but when the assaults in Benghazi happened three months later in September, the creation of a new administration was still in the works. Civil order had not yet been restored. (Joseph I. Lieberman, 2012)

 

3.1.2 Incapability of Libyan government to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel, as required by longstanding international agreements.

            The obligation of a host country to protect and defend a foreign country's diplomatic staff and facilities has been defined in numerous international treaties, notably the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which says that “The receiving State has a specific responsibility to safeguard the consular premises from any trespass or damage, as well as to avoid any disturbance of the diplomatic post's tranquilly or degradation of its dignity.” The Treaty also states that “the receiving State shall treat consular officers with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on their person, freedom or dignity.”

            A host country’s protection of an American embassy or other diplomatic facilities is one of the most important elements of security at that facility, but it is not the only one. A facility’s own security, such as its U.S. Marine Corps Security Guards, DS agents, and in some cases, private security guards under contract, is also critical to its overall security posture. States whose governments do not exercise full control over their sovereign territory, or that have a limited security capability, cannot be counted on to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities. This is usually true, of course, in the aftermath of a revolution or civil war as the case in Libya, where the provision of protective services by the host nations is unpredictable at best.

            The Libyan administration was unable to provide security protection to foreign diplomatic installations in a way compatible with international law due to the country's unpredictable political and security circumstances, notably in eastern Libya. That's why the State Department enlisted the help of a local militia, the February 17 Brigade, as well as unarmed Libyan guards hired via a private security business to secure the Benghazi site. Department of State officials questioned the February 17 Brigade's competency and raised reservations about its capabilities throughout 2012. Members of the February 17 Brigade were also involved in the extrajudicial imprisonment of US diplomatic employees in at least one instance in Benghazi, according to US State Department officials. While the February 17 Brigade provided some security and would certainly respond to an attack, Eric Nordstrom informed the Committee that they definitely required more training. Only a small amount of training was ever done.

The Libyan government's capacity to send in reinforcements to rescue or remove workers from the Benghazi site was likewise severely constrained. This limitation was acknowledged by the Department of State. RSO Nordstrom wrote to his superiors on February 1, 2012, that the political situation in post-revolution Libya was "fragile" and that "many essential governmental institutions, including emergency services and tourism facilities, are not yet fully functioning." (Joseph I. Lieberman, 2012)

3.1.3 The questionable loyalty of February 17 Brigade militia to the Libyan government.

Some Americans questioned the Brigade's allegiance to the Libyan government, as well as its ability or motivation to protect American interests. “Unfortunately, given the present threat to the diplomatic mission, militia members not currently on the four-man team stationed at the facility have voiced discomfort about demonstrating active open support for the Americans in Benghazi,” an RSO in Benghazi wrote in June 2012.

By the time of the attack, the State Department's contract with the February 17 Brigade had ended. On August 29, 2012, the chief US diplomatic official in Benghazi wrote to his replacement that the militia's contract had "lapsed some weeks ago," but that they were still functioning under its conditions. “This is a difficult matter since we are depending on a militia in place of the central authority, and the Feb 17 Brigade has been implicated in numerous recent detentions,” he added. We also have our normal reservations about their ultimate allegiances. They are, nevertheless, competent and provide us with an extra layer of security. I don't believe we have a credible option at this time.”

A member of the February 17 Brigade notified another RSO in Benghazi in early September that the Brigade could no longer facilitate US troop movements. The RSO also inquired about the militia's ability to offer extra support for the Ambassador's upcoming visit, but was told no. (Joseph I. Lieberman, 2012)

3.2 SIGNIFICANCE

The Salafists in Libya have been up against a double challenge. First, losing Muammar Qaddafi's backing, who, although having battled them on numerous fronts, continued to collaborate and co-opt Islamist militias, even threatening to release them in the aftermath of the February 17 revolution Salafists have felt intimidated and ostracised. They have appealed to the public by appealing to anti-American emotions, much as they did in Egypt. They used the production of the American film to stage a high-profile action with several goals in mind, including sending a message of defiance to seculars and the West, appealing to the local population, and demonstrating that while they may have lost politically, they are still a military force to be reckoned with.

Ambassador Stevens' death is a highly contentious occurrence because no US ambassador has been assassinated in the Middle East since Ambassador Francis E. Meloy Jr. was killed in Lebanon in 1976. The killing highlights the serious problems that the US, as well as transitional and incumbent governments in the Arab East, have in dealing with Islamist extremists. Despite the fact that the Arab world is seeing the dawn of a new age filled with hope, it is an unmistakable reality that democratic wins are a loss for extremist organisations. They are likely to take drastic efforts to sabotage the democratic transition and reclaim power. (BEGES, 2012)

 

3.3 FACTORS

1) The ideology of Ansar Al-Sharia

          The ideology of Ansar Al-Sharia that allies with Al-Qaeda where they are having same ideology. They wanted to spread their ideology. One of their ideology is Islamism. Islamism often referred to as political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism by definition refers to “a broad group of political ideologies that utilize and draw inspiration from Islamic symbols and traditions in achieving socio-political objectives” (Islamism, 2021). Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya is a Salafist Islamist militia and Al-Qaeda group that advocates strict implementation of Sharia law throughout Libya. Ansar Al-Sharia came into existence in 2011, during the Libyan Civil War. As of January 2015, it was led by "Amir", Muhammad Al-Zahawi. As part of its strategy, the organization targeted the deaths of certain Libyan and American civilians and took part in the 2012 Benghazi attacks. The group was designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations, Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. United States diplomatic missions in a number of Muslim countries became targets at the same time as protests against anti-Islam videos made in the United States (Wikipedia, 2021).

2) Diplomatic Mission

        The 2012 Benghazi attacks were a coordinated attack on two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia (Blake, 2014). On Sept. 11, 2012, the U.S. Department of State’s Operations Center advised the White House Situation Room and United Stated security units. Ansar Al-Sharia claimed responsibility for attacks on United States diplomatic missions in Benghazi which has just happened. Witnesses said that, they saw vehicles with the group's logo at the site of the attack and that fighters there admitted at the time that they belonged to Ansar Al-Sharia. Witnesses also said, they saw Ahmed Abu Khattala, an Ansar Al-Sharia commander, leading an attack on the embassy, ​​a claim Khattala denied. According to longwarjournal.org, the group issued a statement insisting that it “did not participate as the sole entity” and that the attack “was a spontaneous popular uprising” to the trailer of the film Innocence of Muslims, which was widely criticized as anti-Islam. On 6^th August 2013, United States officials was confirmed that Ahmed Abu Khattala, the leader of Ansar Al-Sharia from Libya, had allegedly played a key role in the 2012 attack on United States diplomatic offices in Benghazi. According to NBC, the allegations were filed in Washington, D.C. at the end of July. Khattala was captured by members of the U.S. Delta Force special operations in a raid in Libya on 15^th June 2014. He was brought to the United States on the USS New York transport dock and is expected to face trial in U.S. criminal court.

3) Security gap

            Before the terrorist attacks in Libya on 11^th September 2012, it happened widely it is understood that the Libyan government is unable to carry out its duty to protect United States diplomatic facilities and staff, as required by the old international. The responsibility of the host country to protect foreign diplomatic officials and facilities in his country have been codified in several international agreements, including 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which states that “he accepts the State is under special duty to take all appropriate measures to protect the consular premises from any encroachment or damage and to avoid disruption of consular postal orders or damage thereof dignity." agreement, but the State Department failed to take adequate steps to fill the results security gaps, or to invest in improving Libyan security forces (Joseph I. Lieberman, 2012). Although the September 11, 2012 attacks in Benghazi were acknowledged as terrorist attacks by the Intelligence Community and members of the State Department from the outset, Administration officials have inconsistently stated publicly that the deaths in Benghazi were the result of a terrorist attack (Joseph I. Lieberman, 2012). There are lessons to be learned from the Administration’s public comments on Benghazi, which we believe contributed to the chaos in public discourse after the attack about what actually happened.

3.4 IMPACTS

Benghazi Attack by Ansar Al-Sharia that happened in September 2012 has brings many impacts especially in term of politics. The political impacts are in connection with the USA,Libya and other Middle East and North African countries. This is because, the terrorist has caused deaths and injuries during their attacks towards four US citizen and hundreds of Libyan people. Due to that, the nations that involved have cooperated in order to take diplomatic action regarding security in the region.  The action taken by Libyan Prime Minister such as apologize to US as well as the other countries as well and condemning the attack by terrorist has depth the relationship between the Libyan people and U.S has grown well as the government of US show their support in revolution of February 2017.  The relationship that been grown strength are been used efficiently as it can bring helps to Libyan government to maintain and increase the security and stability in their country. Not only that, because of Libyan responses , they were received great praised and appreciated in United Stated especially from US President which clearly said in his speech on how Libyan has helped their diplomats to ensure their safety to American audience in the following day. Apart from that, Egypt’s Government received criticism for not doing the same things as Libyan leaders did as Egypt’s leader remained silent on these issues. The attack also has caused government campaign to dissolve militias. The government has declared that all unauthorized militias only has 48 hours to make choice either they want to dissolve or be under control of government. Not only that, bearing arms in public also has been said as illegal and cannot be done. Due to that, government has set up with “National Mobile Force” in order to remove illegal militias. Many of militias has gathered to hand over their authority or weapons to the government as an acts of oblige. Meanwhile, the US President has put ordered to increase the security as a whole and sending 50 members of Marine FAST team for Libya to enhance their security and also send help for Libya in order to investigate the crime and capture the real perpetrators.

 

3.5 RECOMMENDATION

Increased security and military facilities

       United States intelligence agency must expand and broaden their focus in Libya and further, about the violent Islamic extremist groups that are emerging in the region that do not have strong operations ties with Al-Qaeda or its major affiliated groups. One benefit of doing so will be increased tactical warning capabilities, which kind of do not exist in Benghazi, but may exist even for "opportunistic" attacks. The absence of specific intelligence about impending attacks should not be preventing the State Department from taking more effective measures to protect its staff and facilities in Benghazi. The State Department must establish a mandatory process for determining safety standards what applies to temporary facilities to ensure they are adequate protected. The department must conduct a survey of local operator programs and particularly the use of unqualified local guard contractors at high-risk posts standards required for the protection of our staff or facilities. Moreover, the Administration and Congress must work together to provide adequate, a resilient and timely source of funds to procure diplomatic facilities and staff around the world (Joseph I. Lieberman, 2012). All proposals to tackle the problem of terrorism must be well implemented to ensure that the country can carry out its daily activities peacefully.

 4. CONCLUSION

In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, it is a must for government to take suitable actions in dealing with the consequences. The policy makers must take preventive action in order to avoid same events from happening again in the future. This is because, the attacks by terrorist will make the citizen in the country feeling threaten and not feel safe so the action by government plays very important role in ensuring the safety and peace of its people. Doing nothing not only not solving any of the problems but also put the authority of the government itself as questionable as they are not doing their responsibility. Doing something new is always better than doing nothing. One of the things that government can do to improve the national defence and security system is where the government needs to constantly come out with new several strategies to ensure the safety of the people is well maintained. Apart from that, receiving help from those countries who have advance manpower or technology, definitely will become a great source of help for the country itself. In order to reduce the bad impacts of the terrorist attack all parties must work together as a whole. 

5.REFERENCES

Hsu, S. S. (2018, June 27). Ringleader in Benghazi attacks is sentenced. Retrieved from Macomb Daily: https://www.macombdaily.com/news/nation-world-news/ringleader-in-benghazi-attacks-is-sentenced/article_4ad0c05e-e483-51f5-a956-95464b8d1ae0.html

Lieberman, J. I., & Collins, S. M. (2012). Terrorist Attack At Benghazi. United States: United States Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Govermental Affairs.

Mungin, L. (2012, December 19). Benghazi siege: The ambassador's last minutes. Retrieved from CNN US: https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/19/us/benghazi-what-happened/index.html

2012 Serangan ke Amerika di Benghazi, Libya - Apa yang Berlaku?. Retrieved from world kjkjkkjkwide web: https://ms.history-hub.com/2012-serangan-ke-amerika-di-benghazi-libya- kjkkjkjkapa-yang-berlaku

Blake, A. (2014, January 27). 2012 Benghazi attack. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack

Joseph I. Lieberman, C. S. (2012, December 30). Flashing Red:A Special Report On The Terrorist Attack At Benghazi. Retrieved from fas.org: https://fas.org/irp/congress/2012_rpt/benghazi.pdf

Shepard, W. E., Burgat, F., Piscatori, J., & (2009), A. S. (2021, June 17 ). Islamism. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamism

Wikipedia, t. f. (2021, May 28). Ansar al-Sharia (Libya). Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansar_al-Sharia_(Libya)#Activities

Beges, S. (2012, September 12). Stanford News. Retrieved from Stanford University: https://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/september/libya-fsi-qanda-091212.html

Joseph I. Lieberman, S. M. (2012). Flashing Red: A Special Report On The Terrorist Attack At Benghazi. United States.

Irshaid, B. F. (2014, June 13). Profile: Libya’s Ansar al-Sharia. BBC News. clkmckckhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27732589

Tugwell, R. (2016b, January 30). A “Major Terrorist Event” Case Study: Benghazi, Libya on kdjkldjsdklSeptember 11, 2012. E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2016/01/29/a-ckskcklkclmajor-terrorist-event-case-study-benghazi-libya-on-september-11-2012/

 

6. APPENDIX

 

 Figure 1 : Benghazi Attack

Figure 2 : Benghazi Attack News

Figure 3 : Foreign Service Officer, Sean Smith who died during the attack.

Figure 4 : United States Ambassador to Libya, Stevens died during the attack.

Figure 5 : The ringleader of the attack, Abu Khattala (Libyan leader of Ansar Al-Sharia)