Osama bin Laden
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said today that a US operation has killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Islamabad and put his body in US custody.
A small team of Americans carried out the attack and took custody of Osama’s remains, Xinhua news agency quoted Obama as saying in a televised speech from the White House.
US cooperation with Pakistani counterparts led to the location of Osama outside Islamabad, the president said.
Meanwhile Pakistani Urdu TV channel Geo News quoted Pakistani intelligence officials as saying that the world’s most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden was killed in a search operation launched by the Pakistani forces after a Pakistani army helicopter was shot down in the wee hours of Monday in Abbotabad, a mountainous town located some 60 kilometres north of Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad.
At about 1.20 a.m. local time a Pakistani helicopter was shot down by unknown people in the Sikandarabad area of Abbotabad, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the Geo News.
The Pakistani forces launched a search operation in the nearby area and encountered with a group of unknown armed people. A fire exchange followed between the two sides.
When the fire exchange ended, the Pakistani forces arrested some Arab women and children as well as some other armed people who later confessed to the Pakistani forces they were with Osama when the fire was exchanged and that Osama was killed in the firing.
Local media reported that after the dead body of Osama was recovered, two US helicopters flew to the site and carried away the dead body.
Initial reports said that at least one was killed and two others were injured in the crash. At least two houses were engulfed by the huge fire caused by the crashed chopper.
Rescue team rushed to the site shortly after the crash was reported and the armed forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation there.
Sources of Xinhua said they tried to enter the area after the incident took place, but no media people were allowed inside.
“No one knows in that helicopter crash Osama was killed,” said the sources. – Bernama