Islamic World News ( 4 May 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com)
FBI agents kill US mosque bombing suspect
Blast kills 9 in Yemen, including 5 soldiers in Al Qaeda Stronghold
Vatican envoy in Libya criticizes NATO bombing
ISI officer breaks the ice on OBL saga
Property records give new insights into Bin Laden
'Obama reserves right to act again in Pakistan': White House
Three Israeli Arab MPs in Cairo for Hamas-Fatah ceremony
Syrian troops storm Damascus suburb
Daughter 'saw killing of unarmed Bin Laden': Pakistani Intelligence Official
Obama decides against bin Laden photo release
Bahrain loses appeal as offshore money haven
Pak Govt expresses `deep concern` over Osama operation
Pakistan says world shares bin Laden blame
Account Tells of One-Sided Battle in Bin Laden Raid
Unabated protests rock Yemen
Yemen's Qaeda vows to avenge bin Laden
Bin Laden death may speed Afghan talks: experts
Key Al-Qaeda suspect Al-Qahtani surrenders: Jeddah Interior Ministry
Pak PM calls for world's help against terrorism
Patek's arrest in Abbottabad 'pure coincidence': Pak, Indonesia Intelligence Officer
Libya port Misrata shelled; 5 killed
SC dismisses Yunus petition: Bangladesh
US feared Pakistan might alert Osama: CIA
Who is next after Osama?
10 Laden myths
Suspect confesses to Makkah dentist's murder
Obama Giving NY Its Moment of Justice on Bin Laden
Did torture help in the capture of Bin Laden?
Inquiry being conducted how Pak failed to trace Osama: Haqqani
Osama`s killing underlines importance of cooperation
Why anti-graft measures worry Egypt's economists
Israeli PM takes Hamas fight to Europe
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/fbi-agents-kill-us-mosque-bombing-suspect/d/4585
FBI agents kill US mosque bombing suspect: FBI Official
ORIENTA, Oklahoma: A man wanted in the bombing of a Florida mosque was shot and killed Wednesday when he brandished a weapon as agents tried to serve an arrest warrant in northwest Oklahoma, FBI officials said.
Sandlin Matthews Smith, 46, pulled out a firearm as federal and state law enforcement officers approached him in a field at Glass Mountain State Park near Orienta and asked him to surrender, said FBI Special Agent Jeff Wescott of Jacksonville, Florida.
Wescott said agents learned late Tuesday that Smith was staying in a tent in the park, located in the rugged foothills of the Glass Mountains in northwest Oklahoma.
"During the overnight hours, the Oklahoma City FBI SWAT team, along with the assistance of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, set up a perimeter around the area," Wescott said.
Smith was facing several federal charges, including damage to religious property and possession of a destructive device, in connection with the May 10, 2010, bombing of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville. No one was hurt in that explosion, but authorities found remnants of a crude pipe bomb at the scene, and shrapnel from the blast was found a hundred yards away.
Agent Clayton Simmonds at the FBI's Oklahoma City office said it's unclear why Smith was in Oklahoma. He said the shooting still is being investigated.
"I'm not at liberty to say who fired on him," Simmonds said.
http://arabnews.com/world/article382380.ece
By AHMED AL-HAJ
SANAA, Yemen: An explosion on Wednesday ripped through a Yemeni military vehicle in the south, killing five soldiers, while another four civilians died in the ensuing firefight.
The blast hit the vehicle close to a busy market selling qat, the mildly stimulating leaf that Yemenis addictively chew in a province known as a stronghold for the local branch of the Al-Qaeda militant group.
"We heard the sound of explosions and saw fire coming out of the car. The soldiers were lying on the ground," said eyewitness Ali Dahmash.
The panicked surviving soldiers began firing in the air, and were joined by soldiers rushing to the scene. Five civilians in the marketplace were killed by the gunfire, and more than 20 were wounded said Dahmash.
The explosion occurred in the southern Yemeni town of Zinjibar, in a province known as a stronghold for Muslim militants, including Al-Qaeda.
Yemen is home to one of the most active branches Al-Qaeda, but military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, said they weren't sure who the assailants were.
Extremists regularly attack soldiers in the lawless, impoverished country, which is also wracked by pro-democracy demonstrators calling for the ouster of their longtime authoritarian ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
On Wednesday, tens of thousands gathered in Yemen's chief cities, as they have for the past months to reiterate their demands that Saleh step down after more than 30 years in power.
More than 140 people have died since the protests began nearly three months ago.
In the southern province of Aden, a general strike shuttered shops, closed schools and halted commercial transport, in the latest efforts to pressure Saleh to leave.
This week, Saleh spurned mediation efforts by the powerful neighboring bloc of Gulf countries that would have had him step down in return for political immunity.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article382139.ece
By VANESSA GERA
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican's delegate in Tripoli is calling for a halt to NATO air strikes in Libya and for the West to negotiate with Muammar Qaddafi's government, insisting the Libyan leader doesn't oppose dialogue.
Monsignor Giovanni Martinelli, the Holy See's longtime apostolic vicar in Tripoli, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has drawn his inspiration from the pope's desire for peace.
Though Pope Benedict XVI has called for dialogue and diplomacy to prevail over warfare in the North African country, Martinelli, an Italian who was born in Libya in 1942, has gone much further by directly and repeatedly criticizing the NATO airstrikes aimed at helping rebels waging an uprising against Qaddafi's 42-year rule.
Martinelli also attended the recent funeral of Qaddafi's son after seeing the body in the morgue.
"I am speaking in the name of my conscience and in the name of my role as pastor and also in the name of the Gospels," Martinelli said.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, praised Martinelli as an authoritative voice on the situation in Libya who is tending as a pastor to his people under difficult circumstances. He said the Holy See in no way distances itself from his remarks.
Martinelli, who was posted in Tripoli just a year after Qaddafi seized power in 1969, said the West has no right to "enter a country and eliminate the leader because he is suspected of crimes." A NATO air strike over the weekend destroyed most of Qaddafi's family compound, prompting Libyan accusations that the alliance is trying to assassinate Qaddafi. NATO insists it is not trying to kill Qaddafi but is trying to end his ability to harm Libyan civilians.
Libyan officials said Qaddafi was in the bombed building and survived unharmed, while one of his sons and three grandchildren were killed.
Martinelli attended the funeral and earlier was at the morgue with clergymen from other denominations, a scene broadcast on Libyan state TV. The group stood near metal gurneys holding two adult-sized bodies covered with green Libyan flags and two smaller bundles covered by white sheets.
Martinelli was seen blowing a kiss at one point.
"The bombardments were clearly seeking to remove the leader — and I cannot share this position on eliminating the leader," Martinelli told The AP in a telephone interview from Libya. "It is the people that must be able decide whether or not to change him." He said he interprets Benedict's calls for diplomacy to prevail as a clear indication that the pope opposes the NATO strikes and supports negotiations with Qaddafi — though Benedict has not spoken in such direct terms.
In his Easter Sunday message last month, Pope Benedict said: "In the current conflict in Libya, may diplomacy and dialogue replace arms, and may those who suffer as a result of the conflict be given access to humanitarian aid." There is some disagreement among Catholics over the issue.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said the military intervention in Libya appears to meet the criteria in Catholic teaching for a "just war." But Martinelli insisted: "We are strong when we can find dialogue and Qaddafi is not against dialogue." That position contrasts with that of NATO, which has refused a call by the African Union to negotiate a cease-fire between Qaddafi's regime and the rebels trying to oust him. NATO refuses to cut back its operations to give space to diplomatic initiatives.
Though Martinelli strongly condemned NATO's bombings, he refused to condemn outright Ghadafi's violence. When prodded on Qaddafi's crimes, he would only say: "I criticize all that is bad. I have only said that violence brings violence. So let's try to use dialogue to overcome divisions." Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the Holy See supports Martinelli.
"He is a person who lives there, who is an authority who knows the situation. We think his humanitarian concerns are perfectly right to be taken into consideration," Lombardi said.
Martinelli was born to Italian parents during the years when Italy ruled Libya. He joined the Franciscans in 1964 and was ordained a priest in Italy in 1967. Pope John Paul II elevated him to bishop's rank in 1985.
ISLAMABAD: An officer of Pakistan's intelligence agency has said that the presence of Osama bin Laden (OBL) in a compound in Abbottabad and ISI's lack of knowledge on this is embarrassing, Geo News reported.
Talking to media men here, an ISI official said a 12-year daughter of OBL is under custody of Pakistani government. She saw US troops shoot her father to death, he said.
He said there were 17 or 18 people present in compound at the time of US raid.
He said, "But that a US chopper crashed amid operation, so US marine commandos would have taken all people back to America."
Pakistan's main intelligence agency, the ISI, has said it is embarrassed by its failures on al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
An ISI official told the BBC the compound in Abbottabad where Bin Laden was killed by US forces on Sunday had been raided several years ago.
But the compound "was not on our radar" since then, the official said.
The government of Pakistan has categorically denied any knowledge of the raid before it took place.
No base within Pakistan was used by US forces, the ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
It went on: "US helicopters entered Pakistani airspace making use of blind spots in the radar coverage due to hilly terrain."
However, the ministry defended the ISI, saying: "As far as the target compound is concerned, ISI had been sharing information with CIA and other friendly intelligence agencies since 2009."
The ISI official gave new details of the raid, saying Bin Laden's young daughter had said she saw her father shot.
He told the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Islamabad that the compound in Abbottabad, just 100km (62 miles) from the capital, was raided when under construction in 2003.
It was believed an al-Qaeda operative, Abu Faraj al-Libi, was there.
But since then, "the compound was not on our radar, it is an embarrassment for the ISI", the official said. "We're good, but we're not God."
He added: "This one failure should not make us look totally incompetent. Look at our track record. For the last 10 years, we have captured Taliban and al-Qaeda in their hundreds - more than any other countries put together."
The ISI official also gave new or differing accounts of some of the events of Sunday's raid. They included:
There were 17-18 people in the compound at the time of the attack.
The Americans took away one person still alive, possibly a Bin Laden son.
Those who survived the attack included a wife, a daughter and eight to nine other children, not apparently Bin Laden's; all had their hands tied by the Americans.
The surviving Yemeni wife said they had moved to the compound a few months ago Bin Laden's daughter, aged 12 or 13, saw her father shot.
The official said it was thought the Americans wanted to take away the surviving women and children but had to abandon the plan when one of the helicopters malfunctioned.
The helicopter was destroyed by the Special Forces unit.
The US has not commented on anyone it captured or had planned to capture, other than saying it had taken Bin Laden's body.
The ISI official said the organisation had recovered some documents from the compound.
The CIA is already said to be going through a large number of hard drives and storage devices seized in the raid. (AGENCIES)
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=15118
'Obama reserves right to act again in Pakistan':White House
WASHINGTON: The White House said on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama reserves the right to act again against top terror suspects inside Pakistan, following the raid which killed Osama bin Laden.
Obama's spokesman Jay Carney was asked whether the president would be prepared to target fugitives again if they were on Pakistani soil, despite Islamabad's complaints the bin Laden raid was unauthorised and unilateral. "He made very clear during the campaign that that was his view. He was criticised for it," Carney said.
"He maintained that that was his view and, by the actions he has taken as president, feels that it was the right approach and continues to feel that way," he said. During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-senator Obama said that he would order action against bin Laden or other senior Al-Qaeda leaders inside Pakistan if the country's leadership "is unable or unwilling to act."
Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate for president, accused Obama of effectively threatening an allied nation and said that if a target came into view, "you work with the Pakistani government."
Full report:
CAIRO: Three Israeli Arab MPs were in Cairo on Wednesday for a reconciliation ceremony between Fatah and Hamas that was to put the seal on a nearly four-year rift but which has angered Israel, Ahmed Tibi, who was among them, told AFP.
Hundreds of Syrian soldiers in combat gear broke into houses and made arrests overnight in the Damascus suburb of Saqba, a resident said.
"The soldiers did not say who they were. People think they are from Maher's Fourth division," the female resident, who did not want to be identified said, referring to the president's brother Maher Al Assad.
"They cut off communications before they came in. There is no resistance. The demonstrations in Saqba have been peaceful. Scores of people have been arrested," she said.
Thousands joined a demonstration in Saqba last Friday demanding the removal of President Bashar Al Assad.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/May/middleeast_May91.xml&section=middleeast
ISLAMABAD: The 12-year-old daughter of Osama Bin Laden, now in custody with a Yemeni wife of the Al-Qaeda leader, saw her father shot dead, a Pakistani intelligence official said on Wednesday.
The child "was the one who confirmed to us that Osama was dead and shot and taken away," said the official from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Al Arabiya television went further, suggesting that Bin Laden was first taken prisoner and then shot.
The grounds of the compound are seen after US Navy SEAL commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad May 2. Photo: Reuters
Reuters, Washington/Abbottabad
US officials sought to keep a lid on growing skepticism over Washington's version of events around Osama bin Laden's death, insisting the al Qaeda leader was killed during a firefight in the compound in Pakistan where he was hiding.
Despite pressure from his own aides to release photographs of bin Laden's body as evidence to back the administration's account, President Barack Obama refused, saying the images could incite violence and be used by militants as a propaganda tool.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=29646
JEDDAH: Bahrain lost more of its appeal as a haven for offshore money during March after a period of social unrest came on top of stiff regional banking competition from Dubai.
Assets held by Bahraini banks specializing in offshore assets fell 10 percent to their lowest level in six years, central bank data showed on Wednesday.
Foreign assets held by these so-called offshore banks fell 10 percent to $134.9 billion in March, their lowest since 2005, while both domestic assets and assets of local retail banks remained stable throughout the unrest, Reuters reported.
Paul Gamble, head of research at Jadwa Investment, told Arab News: "Financial institutions are naturally cautious and instability will encourage them to look elsewhere. Dubai and Qatar have been investing heavily in building their financial sectors and are attractive options for companies that are concerned about the events in Bahrain."
However, Jarmo T. Kotilaine, chief economist at the National Commercial Bank, said as offshore banking thrives on safety, security, and predictability, Bahrain has had only exceptional uncertainty to offer in recent weeks. Nonetheless, not too much should be read into the scale of the decline in offshore funds yet.
Many of the factors that allowed Bahrain to emerge as a regional financial hub — above all good regulation — remain in place and by regrouping and redoubling their efforts, policymakers can shift the focus back on Bahrain's strengths rather than the recent troubles, he said.
http://arabnews.com/economy/article382198.ece
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday hit out at the United States over the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden near its capital, saying "unauthorised unilateral" action could threaten international peace.
The Foreign Ministry denied that Pakistan had any prior knowledge of the operation and said there was no question of US helicopters taking off from Pakistani bases, despite strenuously pointing out past intelligence cooperation.
Pakistan expresses its deep concerns and reservations over the manner in which the government of the United States carried out this operation without prior information or authorisation from the government of Pakistan,? it said.
It said such unauthorised unilateral action could not be taken as a rule and said it should not become ?a future precedent? for any country.
Such actions undermine cooperation and may also sometimes constitute threat to international peace and security,? it said, adding, ?As far as the target compound is concerned, ISI has been sharing information with the CIA and other friendly intelligence agencies since 2009.?
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?238929
ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan said Wednesday the world must share the blame for failing to unearth Osama bin Laden as a furore swelled over how the slain Al-Qaeda kingpin had managed to live undisturbed near Islamabad.
Following the killing of bin Laden by US commandos in a raid on his sprawling villa, Washington revealed that Pakistan was kept in the dark to avoid tipping off the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks.
A Pakistani intelligence official said one of bin Laden's children, now in custody with a Yemeni wife of the Al-Qaeda leader, saw her father shot dead.
The Saudi-born extremist was unarmed when he was killed early Monday, the White House revealed, fuelling speculation that the elite Navy SEAL team was under orders to kill rather than capture him.
By MARK LANDLER and MARK MAZZETTI
WASHINGTON — President Obama decided Wednesday not to release graphic photographs of Osama bin Laden's corpse, as new details emerged about the raid on Bin Laden's fortified compound that differed from the administration's initial account of the nearly 40-minute operation.
Mr. Obama, after a brief but intense debate within his war council, concluded that making the images of Bin Laden public could incite violence against Americans and would do little to persuade skeptics that the founder of Al Qaeda had been killed, White House officials said.
The new details suggested that the raid, though chaotic and bloody, was extremely one-sided, with a force of more than 20 Navy Seal members quickly dispatching the handful of men protecting Bin Laden.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05binladen.html?ref=world
By SAEED AL-BATATI
SANAA: A women-only rally was organized in the Yemeni capital Sanaa Wednesday to remonstrate with Yemen national security forces, who were accused of kidnapping pro-democracy woman activist Badreh Ghailan from Change Square in the capital a couple of days ago.
The demonstrators passed through the office of the Yemeni attorney general and lodged a complaint, blaming security forces for abducting Ghailan. The opposition said the abduction of the activist is a breach of the constitution, laws and norms of conservative Yemeni society.
Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen claims that thousands of jihadists are ready to follow bin Laden's 'path' with the US afraid that the group will exploit the political turmoil in the country
A leader of Al-Qaeda's branch in restive southern Yemen on Wednesday vowed revenge for the US killing of the worldwide network's founder Osama bin Laden.
"We will take revenge for the death of our Sheikh Osama bin Laden and we will prove this to the enemies of God," he told AFP, contacted by telephone from Yemen's southern province of Abyan, an Al-Qaeda stronghold.
"They will see what they haven't expected ... We are preparing a plan to continue jihad in the coming period," said the Al-Qaeda leader, requesting anonymity for "security reasons." "The martyrdom of Sheikh Osama does not mean that jihad (holy war) will end."
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentPrint/2/0/11400/World/0/Yemens-Qaeda-vows-to-avenge-bin-Laden.aspx
The United States has made overtures to the Taliban in recent months about the reconciliation process. – AP Photo
KABUL: While Osama bin Laden's death may have little immediate impact on the Afghanistan war, it could bring a political solution closer by opening the door for Western talks with the Taliban, experts said.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/05/bin-laden-death-may-speed-afghan-talks-experts.html
Khaled Hadal Al-Qahtani
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
JEDDAH: Alleged Al-Qaeda operative Khaled Hadal Al-Qahtani, who figured high on a list of 47 most-wanted terrorists, has surrendered to Saudi security authorities, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki announced on Wednesday.
"Al-Qahtani contacted security agencies expressing his desire to return to the Kingdom and surrender himself to authorities," Al-Turki told the Saudi Press Agency.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article382142.ece
PARIS: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday called for the world's help in fighting "terrorism and extremism" after the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden near Islamabad.
"Security and the fight against extremism or terrorism is not the job of only one nation," Gilani told reporters in Paris, where he met with French business leaders.
"We need the support of the entire world," he added.
"We are fighting and paying a heavy price to combat terrorism and extremism... fighting not only for Pakistan but for the peace, prosperity and progress of the whole world."
By NINIEK KARMINI
JAKARTA: A top Indonesian terror suspect arrested this year in the Pakistani town where Osama Bin Laden was killed was intending to meet the Al-Qaeda chief, officials here say, raising questions over how isolated Bin Laden was in his final months.
BENGHAZI: Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi's forces killed five people on Wednesday when they shelled the strategic port of the besieged city of Misrata, a rebel spokesman told AFP.
SC dismisses Yunus petition
Prof Muhammad Yunus
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed two petitions filed challenging the Bangladesh Bank order removing Dr Muhammad Yunus as managing director of Grameen Bank.
The seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque passed the order at 10:20am.
The apex court passed the order following conclusion of hearing on the two petitions -- one filed by Yunus and another by nine directors of Grameen Bank – on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON: The head of the CIA, Leon Panetta, has now confirmed that he could not trust Pakistan with the information about the operation to kill Osama bin Laden. ?It was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardise the mission. They might alert the targets,? Panetta told Time magazine in a special interview.
Hamid Mir, Islamabad
Osama bin Laden is dead but many people still think he is not a loser. His death created more mistrust between his enemies. The al Qaeda clearly said many times before his death that all the allies of US were also his enemies. He openly announced Jihad against Pakistani rulers and Pakistan army many times but after his death it was proved that Pakistan is no more a trusted ally of US.
The CIA chief clearly said US did not inform Pakistan about the operation to hunt Osama bin Laden because it feared that the Pakistani authorities would alert him. A top Pakistani government official commented that the CIA chief's statement is a "slap in the face of Pakistan army who lost more than 3,500 soldiers in last few years in war against Taliban and al Qaeda".
Some pro-al Qaeda banned outfits in Pakistan are very happy at the humiliation of Pakistani security agencies by CIA. The leaders of these banned outfits were calling in media offices on Wednesday and they were saying that US will now steal your nuclear weapons and your security forces will do nothing. There was a general impression in common Pakistanis immediately after the Abbotabad operation that US killed Osama bin Ladin with the quiet support of Pakistan but the statement of the CIA chief forced Pakistani masses now to raise questions about the incompetence of their security forces.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=184288
1. Osama bin Laden was 'created' by the CIA
He did not receive any direct funding or training from the US during the 1980s. Nor did his followers. The Afghan mujahideen, via Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency, received large amounts of both. Some bled to the Arabs fighting the Soviets but nothing significant.
2. He had a huge personal fortune
Bin Laden was forced to leave any cash he had when he in effect fled Saudi Arabia in 1991 for Pakistan and then Sudan. His family cut him off. Nor would the inheritance from his hugely wealthy father have been divided into equal parts anyway. What bin Laden did have was contacts, which allowed him to raise money with ease.
3. He was responsible for 1993 bombing of World Trade Centre
Ramzi Yousef, who was the main perpetrator of the attack, was probably working for Khaled Sheikh Mohammed who was an independent operator at the time. Mohammed only started working with al-Qaeda in 1996 and even then kept his distance from bin Laden.
MAKKAH: The prime suspect in the murder of a dentist at a Makkah dental clinic told the Prosecution and Investigations Commission he had been stalking the dentist for 23 days prior to the day of his murder, according to a source.
Dr. Ayman Shamlakh was shot and killed on Sunday in front of his patients at his clinic. The confession of the suspect, who was later arrested, was recorded at the Makkah General Court on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — From the heart of the shocking terror strike on America, President Barack Obama will try to bury the memory of Osama bin Laden by honoring those who died in the fiery Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. In private talks with families and a somber ceremony at ground zero, Obama is out to let New York have its own moment of justice.
The latest on President Obama, the new Congress and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/05/05/us/politics/AP-US-Obama-Ground-Zero.html?_r=1&hp
WASHINGTON: The killing of Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama Bin Laden on Monday is being hailed as a victory for US intelligence work, but questions remain over the effectiveness of the techniques used to get information it says it needed on terrorists.
WASHINGTON: Pakistan's ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani has said that a 'full inquiry' has been launched into how Pakistan failed to find Osama bin Laden in a compound just a few hours drive from Islamabad.
In an interview with US TV, Haqqani said that Pakistan has initiated a full inquiry into finding out why Pakistani authorities were not able to track Osama earlier.
He said that there might be a private network who probably protected Osama as he could not live there without the support of such group.
By Anwar Iqbal
"Both delegations acknowledged that the recent counter-terrorism operation resulting in the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden underscores the importance of cooperation in our efforts to defeat terrorism," the statement said. – File Photo by Reuters
WASHINGTON: The operation that led to Osama bin Laden's elimination underscores the importance of US-Pakistan cooperation in the fight against terrorism, says a joint statement issued here on Wednesday.
The statement, issued after the May 2-3 meeting of the US-Pakistan Defence Consultative Group in Washington, also stressed the need to continue defence relations between the two countries.
"Both delegations acknowledged that the recent counter-terrorism operation resulting in the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden underscores the importance of cooperation in our efforts to defeat terrorism," the statement said.
"Both sides affirmed their mutual commitment to their strong defence relations which, they stressed, should continue to serve as the foundation of the broader strategic partnership."
The statement has come amid demands from US lawmakers to suspend military aid to Pakistan over Bin Laden's discovery in Abbottabad. Some lawmakers also suggested reviewing US relations with Pakistan.
And on Wednesday, India backed such demands by urging the US to attach tougher conditions to the aid it provides Pakistan and to minimise its role in the future of Afghanistan.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/05/osamas-killing-underlines-importance-of-cooperation.html
Michael Gunn
Egypt's anti-corruption purge has sparked debate between idealists calling for a full reckoning and pragmatists concerned about the effects on a tottering economy
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"Thief! Thief!"
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentPrint/3/0/11412/Business/0/Bribes-and-prejudice-why-antigraft-measures-worry-.aspx
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday a unity pact between Fatah and Hamas was a "tremendous blow to peace" and vowed to press the point in his talks with British and French leaders.
Netanyahu made his comments in London after Palestinian president and Fatah leader Mahmud Abbas buried the hatchet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal at a ceremony in Cairo on Wednesday, ending a nearly four-year feud.
"What happened today in Cairo is a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism," Netanyahu told reporters ahead of a two-hour meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, which ended around 2115 GMT.
He added that Hamas's recent condemnation of the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US forces proved that bringing the group into mainstream Palestinian politics would harm chances of peace in the Middle East.
"This is a tremendous setback for peace and a great advance for terror," he said.
The visiting leader warned "a great struggle" was now under way in the Middle East between "the forces of democracy and moderation, and the forces of tyranny and terror".
"I think the fate of the Middle East and the fate of peace hangs in the balance," he added.
Netanyahu will fly to Paris on Thursday to present his case to French President Nicolas Sarkozy as Israel tries to fight off UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
In stark contradiction to Netanyahu's view, Cameron's Downing Street office said ahead of Wednesday evening's talks that the Hamas-Fatah deal would hopefully be a "step forward", adding that the British premier would urge Netanyahu to press ahead with efforts to find a resolution to the conflict.
"This is a time to pursue not ignore the Middle East peace process. That will be his main message to Mr Netanyahu today," a spokesman said.
"We need to study the detail of the agreement but, as the prime minister was making clear in the House of Commons yesterday, we hope that Palestinian unity between Fatah and Hamas will be a step forward.
But a statement from Downing Street released after the meeting held out some encouragement for the Israelis.