State Dept opens Benghazi consulate attack probe

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is pledging a full and transparent inquiry into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

The probe comes as Congress is demanding speedy answers to questions about the security of the mission amid concerns that the FBI investigation into the incident has been delayed.

An independent five-member panel appointed by Clinton will begin this week looking at whether security at the consulate was adequate and whether proper procedures were followed before and during the Sept. 11 attack.

Republican lawmakers claim security was inadequate. Two House leaders have asserted that the State Department denied repeated requests from U.S. diplomats in Libya to enhance security at the mission.