Afghanistan: Report: Poor planning led to River Forest diplomat's death in Afghanistan --- A U.S. mission to deliver books to a school in Afghanistan that ended in the death of a young foreign service officer from River Forest was plagued by poor planning that “failed at all levels,” according to a scathing Army report obtained by the Tribune. -- Anne Smedinghoff, 25, three U.S. soldiers and an interpreter died on April 6, 2013 when a suicide bomber’s car exploded outside the walls of a U.S. military base in Zabul province in southern Afghanistan. -- The Army report for the first time criticizes civilian and military leaders for not following security protocols in the lead-up to the mission. -- But the State Department, in an emailed response to questions, said full blame for the incident rests with the attackers. The statement also noted that security for its personnel at war zone military bases is the responsibility of the military. -- “The only people responsible for this tragedy were the extremists opposed to the mission,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said. -- A classified internal review of the day was conducted, Psaki said, and the department determined no State rules were broken, but it has established a “checklist of security measures” that are now coordinated at the operational level. -- “If for some reason the US military unit is unable to meet the provisions of the checklist, State Department personnel will not participate,” Psaki said. -- The report said soldiers tasked with safely escorting Smedinghoff and other State Department civilians to a local school never received vital information for what was described in military briefings as a “Media Extravaganza.” --- “The platoon did not know the exact number of people they were escorting, they did not conduct a formal risk assessment, they did not have a specific threat analysis, and they had the wrong location for the school,” the report states. -- The Army report notes that insurgents likely attacked the group — which included Jonathan Addleton, a top State Department official for southern Afghanistan — because they thought such a high-profile incident would garner widespread attention. -- “The purpose of this attack was to make a powerful statement that would be broadcast throughout the country,” the report states. “Because local and national media were gathered for the school event, many images and stories would be released immediately.” -- The report was initially commissioned after the attack and approved in June. But in July, new evidence concerning Smedinghoff’s death and the medical treatment she received was added. -- The report, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act this week after it was requested in August, also found that: