Leon Panetta, General Martin Dempsey to testify on Libya attack

Washington: The Senate Armed Services Committee says Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will testify on Thursday about the deadly assault on the US Consulate in Libya last September.

The Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Republicans have pressed for Obama administration officials to testify on the raid. Hillary Rodham Clinton, then secretary of state, defended the administration in her appearance last month.
The congressional testimony by Panetta, who is stepping down, could be his last. President Barack Obama has nominated former two-term Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to replace him, a choice that has faced opposition from within his own party.