Chris Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in rocket attack, served as envoy during revolution
Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya killed along with three others in
a rocket attack outside the American Consulate in Benghazi—ignited by protesters
angry over a film they say insults Prophet Mohammad—was "a courageous and
exemplary representative of the United States," President Obama said in a statement Wednesday condemning the attack.
Initial reports said the slain embassy staffers—who also include foreign
service information management officer Sean Smith—were trying to flee the
consulate building when they were fired upon. But according to the Associated Press, a Libyan doctor who treated
Stevens said the diplomat died of severe asphyxiation from smoke inhalation and
that he tried for 90 minutes to revive him.
Stevens, 52, was the first U.S. ambassador killed in the line of duty since
1979, when Adolph Dubs, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, was gunned down in a
kidnapping attempt.
[Also read: President Obama's statement on attack in
Benghazi]
"Throughout the Libyan revolution, [Stevens] selflessly served our country
and the Libyan people at our mission in Benghazi," Obama said. "As ambassador in
Tripoli, he has supported Libya's transition to democracy. His legacy will
endure wherever human beings reach for liberty and justice. I am profoundly
grateful for his service to my administration, and deeply saddened by this
loss."
Stevens, a California native and U.C.-Berkeley grad, was a 21-year veteran of
foreign service, the White House said.
"I had the privilege of swearing in Chris for his post in Libya only a few
months ago," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a separate statement.
"He spoke eloquently about his passion for service, for diplomacy and for the
Libyan people. This assignment was only the latest in his more than two decades
of dedication to advancing closer ties with the people of the Middle East and
North Africa.
"As the conflict in Libya unfolded, Chris was one of the first Americans on
the ground in Benghazi," Clinton continued. "He risked his own life to lend the
Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation. He
spent every day since helping to finish the work that he started. Chris was
committed to advancing America's values and interests, even when that meant
putting himself in danger."
In response to the attack, the United States is "deploying elite Marine
counterterrorism teams to Libya," Foreign Policy reports. "The Pentagon is sending Fleet
Anti-Terrorism Teams, known as FAST teams, a U.S. defense official has
confirmed."
"It's especially tragic because Chris Stevens died in Benghazi," President
Obama said in hastily arranged public remarks in the Rose Garden of the White
House Wednesday morning, "because it is a city he fought to save."
Speaking at an impromptu press conference in Jacksonville, Fla., on
Wednesday, Mitt Romney condemned Tuesday's attacks as "disgusting" and "outrageous,"
but he also attacked the Obama administration for standing by a statement issued
by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo that he claimed was an "apology" for American
values.
Late Tuesday, Romney issued a statement saying it was "disgraceful that the
Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our
diplomatic missions but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks." On
Wednesday, he stood by his criticism of the White House.
"It's a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values,"
Romney told reporters. "It's never too early for the U.S. government to condemn
attacks on Americans and defend our values. ... When our grounds are being
attacked, being breached, the first response of the United States must be
outrage."
Ambassador Chris Stevens considers himself fortunate to participate in this incredible period of change and hope for Libya. As the President's representative, his job is to develop a strong, mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Libya. Ambassador Stevens was the American representative to the Transitional National Council in Benghazi during the revolution.
When he's not meeting with government officials or foreign diplomats, you can find Ambassador Stevens meeting with Libyan academics, business people, and civil society activists, exploring Libya's rich archaeological sites, and enjoying Libya's varied cuisine.
After several diplomatic assignments in the Middle East and North Africa, Ambassador Stevens understands and speaks Arabic and French. He likes the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli and hopes you will, too.
"I had the honor to serve as the U.S. envoy
to the Libyan opposition during the revolution," Stevens said in May in a
video introducing himself to the Libyan people as the new U.S. ambassador
there. "And I was thrilled to watch the Libyan people stand up and demand their
rights."
[Slideshow: Gunmen
storm U.S. consulate in Libya]
"Growing up in California I didn't know
much about the Arab world," Stevens continued. "I traveled to North Africa as a
Peace Corps volunteer, worked as an English teacher in a town in the high Atlas
mountains in Morocco for two years and quickly grew to love this part of the
world.
"We know Libya is still recovering from an
intense period of conflict," he added. "There are many courageous Libyans who
wear the scars of that battle."
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chris-stevens-us-libya-ambassador-killed-142949456.html
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