US Consulates, Embassies Have Lacked Adequate Security For Decades, Al Jazeera Says

US Diplomatic Posts Lack Adequate Security, Report Says
Mark Sullivan, Director of the united States Secret Service, listens during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill May 23, 2012 in Washington, DC. Sullivan was called to testify about the recent prostitution scandal involving members of the Secret Service in Cartagena, Columbia prior to a visit by US President Barack Obama. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)
Mark Sullivan, Director of the united States Secret Service, listens during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill May 23, 2012 in Washington, DC. Sullivan was called to testify about the recent prostitution scandal involving members of the Secret Service in Cartagena, Columbia prior to a visit by US President Barack Obama. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)

The U.S. Department of State has known for decades that inadequate security at embassies and consulates worldwide could lead to tragedy, but senior officials ignored the warnings and left some of America's most dangerous diplomatic posts vulnerable to attack, according to an internal government report obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.

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