On Sept. 11, 2012, U.S. news outlets reported that the American Embassy in Libya was hit by a spontaneous mortar strike that arose out of mass street protests in response to an anti-Islamic video. In it, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, a CIA agent, two CIA security contractors and former Navy SEALS were unfortunately killed in the collateral damage. This event is now infamously referred to as “Benghazi.” If you care at all about the real truth, this article will serve you well. If not, then I guess you can sympathize with Hillary Clinton in saying, “What difference does it make?”

What difference does it make? Four Americans were killed in an embassy that wasn’t even officially recognized as legitimate. After all of this, the Obama administration released an apology to the attackers. This story is shrouded with myths propagated by the extreme left-wing media. I will now proceed to expose them.

#1: “Benghazi was a spontaneous terrorist attack.” The news made the situation appear as if everything was normal until, in the early morning hours, three mortars randomly struck the U.S. security outpost, killing two Americans. This happened the same night that the U.S. ambassador and a bodyguard of his were entrapped in a house burned by a mob of angry Libyans, eventually killing the two. All, coincidentally, on 9/11. First of all, mortars aren’t random. The idea that the coordinates of the security outpost were taken, then a hand mortar was cranked to match them, suggests that intel was taken on the Americans in Benghazi weeks before. Not only that, the mortar strikes came as a “final blow,” after a long night of fighting. The truth is, the attack was a siege. Proven unsuccessful, the terrorists resorted to their back-up plan, mortar strikes.

#2: “Benghazi was caused by an anti-Islamic film” — another lie. The news reported on alleged street protests in Benghazi responding to a video. However, the real protests took place almost 800 miles away in Cairo, Egypt. The security contractors at the Libyan embassy never reported any protests. Nor did the overhead drone see any. This changes the rhetoric of the attack from a freak accident to a premeditated operation. Clinton confirmed this lie when she later was caught telling the Egyptian prime minister, “We know that the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack — not a protest.”

#3: “The U.S. government did all they could to rescue the Americans in Benghazi.” I hope that nobody still believes this. Nevertheless, it’s important. On June 6, 2012, a bomb was detonated in front of the U.S. security consulate by local terrorists, directed towards the Libyan militants who protected the U.S. Embassy. Footage of this would have to have been revealed to Secretary Clinton; however, no security or surveillance measures were improved. Once the Sept. 11 attack was underway, the security consulate made multiple requests for air support to AFRICOM and other closer American bases, including one in Italy that was only a 20-minute flight away. It never came. A later request was made for a simple flyover. That never came either. Clinton knew about the attacks as they were happening. However, her authority was not used in America’s interest.

On May 22, 2012, Ambassador Chris Stevens would begin his service in Libya. Less than four months later, he would be killed. Sean Smith would serve as Stevens’ information officer and would also die on the dawn of Sept. 12. Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods both served as Navy SEALS and were working as CIA security contractors on the night of the attack. They too, never made it home. Four Americans died on that night and the news media, alongside the Obama administration, scrambled to cover it up. The reason was that in President Obama’s ensuing re-election, it was imperative to his image that he seemed as innocent as possible when it came to this catastrophe. What it actually was was a disturbing example of government neglect disguised as a freak accident.

The reason the embassy in Benghazi wasn’t well-protected is because it was considered a “temporary diplomatic outpost,” which cost it multiple security regulations. In other words, an embassy would be too expensive to protect. After four heroic Americans died in the fiasco, the Obama administration covered it up as a random, unfortunate act of terror, when in fact it wasn’t. It was a thirteen-hour long battle where three American servicemen and an ambassador were killed. This is the truth of the matter that you were never told. When it comes to American lives, it’s sad how disrespectful our leaders can be. Understand this, in the name of an election, our armed forces were disgraced ,and our population was deceived. This is the truth of the situation. Don’t believe the lies.