Turkey: "theories and outrage are growing against the US for striking with impunity"

Hurriyet Daily News

US, Pakistan row grows after bin Laden killing

Following US President Barack Obama's announcement that no photographs will be released of Osama bin Laden’s body, conspiracy theories and outrage are growing against the US for striking with impunity. Islamabad warns US of ‘disastrous consequences’ if it carries out any more unauthorized raids against suspected terrorists

The U.S. decision not to release images of Osama bin Laden's body fanned conspiracy theories over his killing in Pakistan, where outrage is growing against the United States for striking with impunity.

President Barack Obama decided Wednesday not to release photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse, citing national security risks and saying the United States should not brandish "trophies" of its victory.

Obama's war cabinet had been debating whether to publish gruesome post-mortem photos of the al-Qaeda terror chief, who was gunned down by U.S. Special Forces in a covert raid inside Pakistan. American officials have said they didn't inform Pakistan in advance, fearing bin Laden could be tipped off.

Pakistan, flatly denied colluding with al-Qaeda after the CIA said it refused to tell Islamabad about the raid on Osama bin Laden, fearing the terror kingpin might be tipped off. The country has been left wondering how U.S. Navy SEALs managed to chopper into bin Laden's compound undetected, kill him and fly off with his body near an academy training the military, Pakistan's most respected institution.

Islamadas also warned America Thursday of "disastrous consequences" if it carries out any more unauthorized raids against suspected terrorists like the one that killed bin Laden. "The Pakistan security forces are neither incompetent nor negligent about their sacred duty to protect Pakistan," said Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir. Bashir repeated Pakistani claims that it did not know anything about the raid until it was too late to stop it.

There is also lingering disbelief that the al-Qaeda mastermind was actually shot dead in early Monday's operation, following U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement that no photograph would be released of his body.

Meanwhile, U.N. human rights chief called for "a full disclosure of the accurate facts" to determine the legality of the killing of al-Qaeda chief. "I'm still for a full disclosure of the accurate facts," Pillay told reporters in Oslo. "I think it's not just my office but anybody is entitled to know exactly what happened," she added.

Pillay's declarations come a day after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told a Senate hearing the raid during which bin Laden was killed "was lawful and consistent with our values."

In the violent southern metropolis of Karachi, mistrust of the U.S. version of events was running rampant, particularly in light of Obama's declaration that the photo evidence would be kept secret on national security grounds.

"It has always lied and ditched its allies, so why trust its leadership when they say they have killed Osama. They don't release the picture because it could expose their lies," said Mehmood Azeem, 55, a medical practitioner.

A senior government official in Sindh's provincial administration voiced suspicion that the national establishment were part of a large cover-up over the commando raid in Abbottabad, 50 kilometers from the capital.

"We don't know exactly what happened that night. What's more embarrassing is that our civilian and military leadership are hand in glove in the hush," said the official, Ahmed, who would give only his first name.

While the U.S. operation on Pakistani soil "has raised questions" on the role of the country's army and intelligence services, "there can be no doubt that we will have to rely on Pakistan's full cooperation as a partner," said a spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.

"More than ever we need to underpin the democratic elected government of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani," said spokesman Michael Mann.

Islamabad has rejected suggestions of collusion with extremists, with Gilani saying that the United States and other countries shared the blame for not finding bin Laden sooner.

Earlier on Thursday, China reaffirmed its support for efforts by its ally Pakistan to combat terrorism and urged the world to help Islamabad. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stopped short of directly criticizing the daring raid by U.S. special forces on Pakistani soil that ended with bin Laden's death but said national sovereignty "should be respected" at all times.

Compiled from AP and AFP reports by the Daily News staff.

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