Asia-Pacific

Pakistan paints dismal image of bin Laden's end

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-05-07 17:18

A roadside vendor sells newspapers with headlines about the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in Lahore in this May 3, 2011 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's military paints a different picture than the United States of Osama bin Laden's final days: far from the terror mastermind still trying to strike America, he's seen as an aging terrorist hiding in barren rooms, short of money and struggling to maintain his grip on al-Qaida.

But the CIA is saying he was in touch with key members of al-Qaida, playing a strong role in planning and directing attacks by al-Qaida and its affiliates in Yemen and Somalia, senior US officials said Friday, citing documents found during the Monday morning raid in which bin Laden was killed.

Three of bin Laden's wives were living with him in the compound and are being interrogated by Pakistani authorities, who took them into custody after Monday's raid, along with 13 children, eight of them bin Laden's.

Their accounts could help shed light on the US military operation that killed the al-Qaida leader and reveal how he was able to avoid capture for nearly 10 years.

One of the wives, identified as Yemeni-born Amal Ahmed Abdullfattah, told interrogators she had been staying in bin Laden's hideout since 2006 and never left the upper floors of the large but sparsely furnished building, said a Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the agency's policy.

The official did not indicate whether bin Laden was with her the whole time, a period in which the Pakistani military says the al-Qaida chief's influence and financial status eroded.

Disputes over money between bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, led the group to split into two factions five or six years ago, with the larger faction controlled by al-Zawahri, according to two senior Pakistani military officials. Bin Laden was "cash strapped" in his final days, they said.

The officers spoke to a small group of Pakistani reporters late Thursday, and their comments were confirmed for The Associated Press by another top military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues. The officer didn't provide details or say how his agency knew about bin Laden's financial situation or the split with his deputy.

The image coming out of Washington based on information seized from bin Laden's compound was far different.

It shows that bin Laden was a lot more involved in directing al-Qaida personnel and operations than sometimes thought over the last decade, officials said. And it suggests bin Laden was "giving strategic direction" to al-Qaida affiliates in Somalia and Yemen, one defense official said.

US counterterrorism officials have long debated how big a role bin Laden and core al-Qaida leaders were playing in the attacks launched by affiliated terror groups, particularly al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen, and al-Shabab in Somalia.

Bin Laden's first priority, an official said, was his own security. But the data shows that he was far more active in providing guidance and telling affiliated groups in Yemen and Somalia what they should or should not be doing.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material.

The confiscated materials revealed al-Qaida plans for derailing an American train on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, US counterterrorism officials say.

They believe the plot, which seemed to be formulated in February 2010, was only in the initial planning stages, and there was no recent intelligence about any active plan for such an attack. The FBI and Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin with details of the plan to law enforcement around the country. The bulletin, marked "for official use only," was obtained by the AP.