Benghazi Attack Could Have Been Prevented, Senate Report Says

A report released by the Senate Intelligence Committee on the 2012 Benghazi attacks which have shadowed the Obama administration may put to the blame game and theories to rest, the Associated Press reported

The report says the State Department and the intelligence community failed to properly communicate warnings of terrorist activity which caused the death of four Americans, according to the AP.

The report was critical of all failed areas of the United States government and even mentioned the U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, who died in the attack, for denying military security from the head of Africa Command weeks before the attack occurred, the AP reported.

According to the report, "the State Department should have increased its security posture more significantly in Benghazi based on the deteriorating security situation on the ground and IC threat reporting on the prior attacks against Westerners in Benghazi-including two previous incidents" which took place at the temporary diplomatic facility that year, according to the AP.

Recommendations were also given on how to prevent future mistakes which could claim more lives, the AP reported.

Though the Senate report states the State Department created an assistant secretary position for high threat posts after the attack for better observation and focus on dangerous areas, the report said local authorities and securities should not be the lone source of security, especially in countries "where the host government cannot provide adequate protection," according to the AP.

The intelligence committee also said the State should only use locations that are "inadequately protected" as a last resort, referring to the CIA annex where the Americans had taken shelter before al-Qaida militants fired mortars at the location and killed them, the AP reported.

Mining social media sites and using extensive eyewitness reporting was also recommended, "especially from U.S. government personnel-in the aftermath of a crisis," according to the AP.

Another major point in the report was the failure on behalf of the Obama administration for not finding the attackers so they could be brought to justice after more than a year has passed since the attacks, the AP reported.