Bin Laden was unarmed when killed, admits US
Source: Agencies |
May 5, 2011, Thursday
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Osama bin Laden was unarmed when United States special forces shot and killed him, the White House said, as it vowed to "get to the bottom" of whether Pakistan helped the al-Qaida leader elude a 10-year manhunt.
Pakistan has denied it gave shelter to bin Laden.
The revelation that bin Laden was unarmed appeared to contradict an earlier account from a US security official that the al-Qaida leader "participated" in a firefight with the helicopter-borne American commandos.
White House spokesman Jay Carney cited the "fog of war" - a phrase suggested by a reporter - as a reason for the initial misinformation.
If this becomes controversial, it could complicate US efforts to mend ties with the Muslim world in the wake of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, conflicts sparked by the September 11, 2001 attacks bin Laden orchestrated.
US officials are also wrestling with whether to release graphic photographs of bin Laden's body - he was shot in the face - which could provide proof of his death but risks offending Muslims.
"It's fair to say that it's a gruesome photograph," Carney said.
Pakistan has welcomed bin Laden's death, but its foreign ministry expressed "deep concerns" about the raid, which it called an "unauthorized unilateral action."
The CIA said it kept Pakistan out of the loop because it feared bin Laden would be tipped off, highlighting the depth of mistrust between the two supposed allies.
US helicopters carrying the commandos used radar "blind spots" in the hilly terrain along the Afghan border to enter Pakistani airspace undetected in the early hours of Monday.
The streets around bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad remained sealed off yesterday, with police and soldiers allowing only residents to pass through.
Carney insisted bin Laden resisted when US forces stormed his compound - though he would not say how.
"There was concern that bin Laden would oppose the capture operation and, indeed, he resisted," Carney said. "A woman ... bin Laden's wife, rushed a US assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed."
White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan, briefing reporters earlier this week, indicated that bin Laden was armed when he said: "He was engaged in a firefight ... and whether or not he got off any rounds, I quite frankly don't know."
The strike team opened fire in response to "threatening moves" as they reached the third-floor room where they found bin Laden in his compound, CIA Director Leon Panetta said in an interview with PBS television.
"The authority was to kill bin Laden," he said.
"Obviously, under the rules of engagement, if he had thrown up his hands, surrendered and didn't appear to be representing any threat, then they were to capture him. But they had full authority to kill him."
A US security official on Monday said bin Laden would have been taken alive if he had surrendered, but otherwise the raid was a "kill operation."
US officials have also backtracked on an earlier statement claiming that bin Laden's wife had been used as a human shield.
Pakistan has denied it gave shelter to bin Laden.
The revelation that bin Laden was unarmed appeared to contradict an earlier account from a US security official that the al-Qaida leader "participated" in a firefight with the helicopter-borne American commandos.
White House spokesman Jay Carney cited the "fog of war" - a phrase suggested by a reporter - as a reason for the initial misinformation.
If this becomes controversial, it could complicate US efforts to mend ties with the Muslim world in the wake of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, conflicts sparked by the September 11, 2001 attacks bin Laden orchestrated.
US officials are also wrestling with whether to release graphic photographs of bin Laden's body - he was shot in the face - which could provide proof of his death but risks offending Muslims.
"It's fair to say that it's a gruesome photograph," Carney said.
Pakistan has welcomed bin Laden's death, but its foreign ministry expressed "deep concerns" about the raid, which it called an "unauthorized unilateral action."
The CIA said it kept Pakistan out of the loop because it feared bin Laden would be tipped off, highlighting the depth of mistrust between the two supposed allies.
US helicopters carrying the commandos used radar "blind spots" in the hilly terrain along the Afghan border to enter Pakistani airspace undetected in the early hours of Monday.
The streets around bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad remained sealed off yesterday, with police and soldiers allowing only residents to pass through.
Carney insisted bin Laden resisted when US forces stormed his compound - though he would not say how.
"There was concern that bin Laden would oppose the capture operation and, indeed, he resisted," Carney said. "A woman ... bin Laden's wife, rushed a US assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed."
White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan, briefing reporters earlier this week, indicated that bin Laden was armed when he said: "He was engaged in a firefight ... and whether or not he got off any rounds, I quite frankly don't know."
The strike team opened fire in response to "threatening moves" as they reached the third-floor room where they found bin Laden in his compound, CIA Director Leon Panetta said in an interview with PBS television.
"The authority was to kill bin Laden," he said.
"Obviously, under the rules of engagement, if he had thrown up his hands, surrendered and didn't appear to be representing any threat, then they were to capture him. But they had full authority to kill him."
A US security official on Monday said bin Laden would have been taken alive if he had surrendered, but otherwise the raid was a "kill operation."
US officials have also backtracked on an earlier statement claiming that bin Laden's wife had been used as a human shield.
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