United States military officials have denied claims that head of U.S. Africa Command Gen. Carter Ham may have been fired due to an intent to disobey defense secretary Leon Panetta while the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi were underway. Over the weekend, a source inside the Pentagon informed Washington Times reporter James Robbins that Gen. Ham wanted to send special forces units to help Americans under siege in Libya despite orders from Defense Secretary Panetta to “stand down.”