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罢丑别听Obama administration聽on Thursday described last week's assault on the聽U.S. Consulate听颈苍听Benghazi, Libya, as a "terrorist attack" and announced a panel to investigate the events that took the lives of the ambassador and three other Americans.

Secretary of State聽Hillary Clinton聽gave lawmakers a classified briefing as more questions were raised in聽Congress聽about whether sufficient security was in place before the Sept. 11 attack in which the Americans, including Ambassador聽Christopher Stevens, died.

Clinton said the investigating panel would be chaired by聽Thomas Pickering, a retired diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to聽Russia,听India,听Israel,听Nigeria,听El Salvador,听Jordan聽and at the聽U.S. Mission聽to the聽United Nations.

罢丑别听White House聽said it agreed with an assessment made a day earlier by a senior counterterrorism official that the violence in聽Benghazi聽was an act of terrorism.

"It is self-evident that what happened in聽Benghazi聽was a terrorist attack,"聽White House聽spokesman聽Jay Carney聽told reporters traveling with President聽Barack Obama. Carney did not go any further in clarifying whether the administration believed the attack was planned.

Some Republicans said they saw a shift in emphasis from the聽White House's earlier presentation of the violence as a protest outside the聽Benghazi consulate聽that got out of control.

Debate over whether militant groups planned the assault or whether the violence resulted from protests against a film insulting to Islam has become U.S. election-year fodder.

"The story now has been changed. There was a planned, premeditated attack," Republican Representative聽Howard McKeon, chairman of the聽House Armed Services Committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

The investigative panel, whose creation is generally required by law when someone is killed or seriously injured at a聽U.S. mission聽abroad, is made up of four people chosen by the secretary of state and the聽U.S. intelligence聽community. It is expected to write a report on whether security systems and procedures were adequate, and could recommend improvements.

Its work is separate from an FBI probe of the聽Benghazi聽attack, which happened on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the聽United States.

U.S. authorities are investigating possible collusion between the militants who launched the attack and locally hired Libyan personnel guarding the facility, three U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity. So far there is no proof of this, they said.

Demanding answers聽

Lawmakers have demanded answers on how Stevens, a State Department information management officer and two security agents could have died in the incident. Stevens' death marked the first time a U.S. ambassador had been killed in such an attack since 1979.

U.S. embassies in聽Egypt,听Sudan,听Tunisia听补苍诲听Yemen聽have been attacked and U.S. diplomatic facilities in the聽Middle East听补苍诲听North Africa聽have been the target of protests sparked by a film made in聽California聽that depicts the Prophet Mohammad as a womanizer and a fool.

Appearing at a forum sponsored by聽Univision聽and Facebook, and hosted by the聽University of Miami听颈苍听Coral Gables,听Florida, Obama said the聽United States聽would not retreat from the region.

"My message to the presidents of聽Egypt, Libya,听Tunisia聽and these other countries: we want to be a partner with you, we will work with you and we stand on the side of democracy," he said.

"But democracy is not just an election, it's also are you looking out for minority rights, are you respecting freedom of speech, are you treating women fairly?" he added.

"The one thing we can't do is withdraw from the region. 罢丑别听United States聽continues to be the one indispensable nation."

Speaking at a news conference before she briefed U.S. lawmakers, Clinton also stressed the importance of U.S. relations with such countries despite questions about whether the聽United States聽should continue aid following the protests.

A congressional committee wrote to Clinton on Thursday demanding information about the attack in聽Benghazi, including all U.S. security analyses and threat assessments before the violence and any documents that clarify whether the attack was spontaneous or premeditated.

"The American people have a right to know the facts about this egregious attack on U.S. sovereign territory," Republican Representative聽Jason Chaffetz聽wrote to Clinton, setting an Oct. 4 deadline for her to provide the information.

Adam Smith, the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, attended part of the briefing Thursday with Clinton and said - as Reuters reported on Wednesday - that the U.S. ambassador to Libya聽had five security guards with him. Smith said he thought that was an appropriate number.

Asked about possible collusion between Libyans working for the聽U.S. Consulate听颈苍听Benghazi聽and the attackers, Smith said, "There is no evidence of that at this time."