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State Department changes story on Afghanistan blast that killed diplomat
The State Department has acknowledged that five U.S. personnel killed in Afghanistan, including 25-year-old diplomat Anne Smedinghoff, were on foot when they were attacked by a suicide bomber, and not in an armored vehicle, as officials had told bereaved relatives earlier this week.The violent deaths of U.S. diplomatic personnel and the State Departments changing account of how they died harken back to the debacle in Benghazi, Libya, where Islamist extremists killed four Americans in assaults on the U.S. diplomatic compound on Sept. 11. We are able to clarify at this point that they were in a walking movement from the [Provincial Reconstruction Teams base] down to the school down the road, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters Wednesday. Mr. Ventrell said the school was a short distance away reports on the ground say 200 yards and that all the U.S. civilians in the group were wearing personal protective gear. The five killed Ms. Smedinghoff; a civilian U.S. government contractor who has not been named; and soldiers Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Ward, 24, of Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Spc. Wilbel A. Robles-Santa, 25, of Juncos, Puerto Rico; and Spc. Delfin M. Santos Jr., 24, of San Jose, Calif. were all members of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) who were taking a U.S. donation of books to the local school in Qalat. Posted by: Glineck Angavick9938 2013-04-12 |
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