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US expects to grill Osama women 'soon'
WASHINGTON: The United States said it expects Pakistan will "soon" allow it to question three women apprehended during the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden, despite Islamabad's fury over the operation.The apparent concession came as further details emerged about the dramatic May 2 assault in which the Al-Qaeda kingpin was shot dead by US forces not far from Islamabad, eliminating the architect of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Bin Laden's Yemeni wife, who was shot in the leg during the raid, has told Pakistani investigators that they had lived in the compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad for five years.
With the pivotal US-Pakistan relationship under severe strain, the White House had called on Islamabad to help counter growing mistrust by granting American investigators access to the three women.
"The United States expects to be granted access soon," the US official said, without providing more details. Senior Pakistani officials were either unreachable Tuesday or refused to comment on the claim.
The three women, who are believed to be wives of bin Laden, have been in Pakistani custody since the assault along with several children.
The New York Times meanwhile reported that the elite US Navy SEALs who gunned down bin Laden had permission to kill Pakistani forces if necessary.
The newspaper said President Barack Obama raised the prospect of a clash 10 days before the operation, resulting in two extra helicopters being deployed to protect the assault team.
Citing a senior Obama administration official, it said the SEALs would have been allowed to fight back if engaged by hostile local police officers or soldiers.
"Their instructions were to avoid any confrontation if at all possible. But if they had to return fire to get out, they were authorized to do it," the official said.
On Monday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani dismissed as "absurd" accusations that complicity or incompetence had allowed bin Laden to hide out for years in the sizeable compound two hours' drive from Islamabad.
He vowed a full investigation into the security and intelligence lapses -- to be overseen by a Pakistani general -- but also hit out at Washington's decision to strike on its own deep inside Pakistan. (AFP)
Courtesy www.geo.tv