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| Osman Bin Laden Is Dead |
ISLAMABAD : According to Washington Post Pakistani government has stressed on Monday that U.S. forces carried out the mission, not Pakistani soldiers.
President Asif Ali Zardari learned of bin Laden’s death in a phone call from President Obama, a government statement said. The mission was carried out “in accordance with declared U.S. policy that Osama bin Laden will be eliminated in a direct action by the U.S. forces, wherever
found in the world.”The statement by Pakistan’s foreign ministry pointedly did not cite any Pakistani involvement in the operation, even though President Obama, in an announcement from the White House, cited Pakistani assistance.
Depending on the role Pakistan played in identifying bin Laden’s location, the killing could ease tensions between U.S. and Pakistani military and intelligence officials, who have sparred recently over America’s presence in Pakistan, CIA drone strikes, Pakistani reluctance to strike terror hubs and U.S. assertions that Pakistani intelligence operatives protect or assist Islamist insurgents.
American troops in four helicopters swept into Abbottabad--a city 65 miles from the capital that is home to two Pakistani army regiments--early Monday morning in Pakistan (late Sunday afternoon in Washington).
Bin Laden and four associates were killed inside a sprawling and heavily fortified mansion located within walking distance from a premiere military academy.
In its statement, released hours later, Pakistan’s foreign ministry hailed the killing as “a major setback to terrorist organizations around the world.”
Earlier, Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking anonymously, had said bin Laden was killed in a joint operation. One official called the mission “primarily ISI,” a reference to Pakistan’s top spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate.
But senior U.S. officials said no other government was informed of the raid ahead of time — including Pakistan’s.
