Published - Bin Laden shot unarmed; pressure mounts on Pakistan

by ELR/VS, GMA News

ABBOTTABAD/WASHINGTON — (Update) Osama bin Laden was unarmed when he was shot dead by US special forces, the White House said, as Pakistan faced further pressure on Wednesday to explain how the world’s most-wanted man was able to shelter so long in a town near its capital.

Washington vowed to “get to the bottom” of whether Pakistan helped bin Laden elude a 10-year manhunt before he was killed in a US raid on his fortified compound in the town of Abbottabad. Islamabad denied it gave shelter to the al Qaeda leader.

The CIA said it did not tell Pakistan in advance about the raid because it feared bin Laden would be tipped off, highlighting the depth of mistrust between the two supposed allies.

US officials were also wrestling with whether to release graphic photographs of bin Laden’s body — which could provide proof of his death but also risks offending Muslims.

“It’s fair to say that it’s a gruesome photograph,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Pakistan has welcomed bin Laden’s death, but its foreign ministry expressed “deep concerns” about what it called an “unauthorised unilateral action”. US helicopters carrying the commandos used radar “blind spots” in the hilly terrain along the Afghan border to enter Pakistani airspace undetected.