Britain’s Afghan role ‘not changed by killing’

BRITAIN’S role in Afghanistan will not change in the wake of the death of Osama bin Laden, Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned.

Mr Hague said the death of bin Laden in Pakistan marked a “decisive moment” for Afghanistan, which should persuade the Taliban to break off links with the al-Qaida terror network.

His comments came as the White House defended the killing of the world’s most wanted man as an act of “national self-defence” and also revealed that a photograph of bin Laden would not be released to media.

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US President Barack Obama announced on American TV yesterday that no photograph would be published.

Earlier the US Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the operation in which the terror leader had been killed was lawful.

He said: “He was the head of al-Qaida – an organisation that had conducted the attacks of September 11. He admitted his involvement.

“It was justified as an act of national self-defence. If he had surrendered, attempted to surrender, I think we should obviously have accepted that, but there was no indication that he wanted to do that and therefore his killing was appropriate.”

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Both Mr Hague and Prime Minister David Cameron warned of potential terror attacks in response to bin Laden’s death and said it would not alter Britain’s mission in Afghanistan.

Mr Hague said: “The death of Osama bin Laden, although a positive development in terms of our counter-terrorism effort, does not change our strategy in Afghanistan.

“We remain committed to our military, diplomatic and development work to build a stable and secure Afghanistan. We will work, with our Afghan and international partners to ensure that Afghanistan can never again be a safe haven for international terrorist groups like al-Qaida.

“This is a decisive moment. The Taliban should recognise that now is the time to separate themselves from al-Qaida and participate in a peaceful political process.”

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Mr Cameron yesterday said the death of the terrorist mastermind would not “necessarily” allow an accelerated withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

However, the French foreign minister Alain Juppe said that France and America were considering speeding up the withdrawal of their troops.

Mr Cameron warned of the danger of attacks by al-Qaida or its affiliates, seeking to show they can still mount effective operations in the absence of their leader, or from “lone wolf” individuals wanting to avenge his death.

Pakistan’s prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said that intelligence agencies around the world should share the blame for the failure to capture bin Laden. Pakistani officials said earlier that they alerted the US to suspicions about bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad as far back as 2009.

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The country’s foreign secretary Salman Bashir said American concerns over whether it could trust Pakistan’s security and intelligence services were “misplaced”.

Pakistan is smarting over Washington’s decision not to inform it in advance of the audacious special forces raid which led to the killing of the al-Qaida leader in a city that is home to Pakistan’s elite officer training college.

CIA director Leon Panetta has said the Pakistani authorities were not told in advance because of fears that the information would be leaked, allowing bin Laden the opportunity to flee.

The row blew up as the White House backtracked on some key details about the operation which led to the death of America’s most wanted man.

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It emerged that bin Laden was unarmed when he was shot dead by US Navy Seal commandos and did not attempt to shelter behind his wife as initially believed.

White House spokesman Jay Carney insisted the US commandos were prepared to take bin Laden alive, but said he was “resisting” when he was shot dead.

Mr Carney also disclosed that a woman killed in the raid had not been acting as a human shield, as previously claimed, but was caught in crossfire.

It also emerged yesterday that President Obama did not watch the raid in real time as had previously been claimed but was told about the death afterwards.

Polls ratings bonus for Obama

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US President Barack Obama’s poll rating has received a boost following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Two new surveys have found the President's approval ratings climbed to 56 per cent, a nine-point improvement over last month.

The polls were carried out on Monday, after details were released about the operation to kill bin Laden. It also emerged yesterday that computer files, DVDs and documents that US commandos took from bin Laden’s Pakistani hideout are being examined by experts in a bid to trace other al-Qaida leaders.

The Navy Seals who staged the raid also took phone numbers from bin Laden’s body that could provide new leads.