Osama: We won’t release photographs of killing, burial – US

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics Thursday, May 5th, 2011

After days of dithering, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he had resolved not to release the photographs of the killing and burial of the leader of Al Qaeda terrorist network, Osama bin Laden.

Obama, in an interview with CBS News, said he took the decison because the graphic nature of the killing and burial could incite violence and create national security risks for the US.

Bin Laden was killed by a US special security force, Navy SEALs, on Monday morning in Abbottabad, an an upscale neighbourhood in Pakistan.

Some family members of those who died in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks by Al Qaeda thought it important to document bin Laden’s death, as did some skeptics in the Arab world who doubted his demise in the absence of convincing evidence.

But many US lawmakers and others expressed concerns that the photographic images could be seen as a “trophy” that would inflame critics and make it harder for members of the American military deployed overseas to do their jobs.

Only images of the raid and a blood-stained bed in the $1m mansion where bin Laden had taken refuge for years have been shown by cable television stations, newspapers and social media since he was killed.

There have also been computer simulations of his corpse, wrapped in white cloth, being thrown from a helicopter into the sea.

But Obama, who will on Thursday (today) attend a New York ceremony to mark the killing of bin Laden, said, “There’s no doubt we killed Osama bin Laden. There’s no need to spike the football.”

The President said that for anyone who doesn’t believe bin Laden was dead, “we don’t think that a photograph in and of itself is going to make any difference.”

“There are going to be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is you won’t see bin Laden walking on this earth again,” he added.

Presidential spokesman Jay Carney read the quotes to reporters in the White House ahead of the airing of the CBS’ “60 Minutes,” programme which featured the President .

The Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, had said on Tuesday that the photographs show bin Laden shot in the head. He had also said he expected that at least one photograph would be released.

Obama said in the interview on Wednesday that, “It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photographs of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence.”

“I think that, given the graphic nature of these photographs, it would create some national security risk,” he added.

Before the President spoke, his immediate predecessor, George W. Bush, said he had declined an invitation from Obama to attend a New York ceremony on Thursday to mark the killing of bin Laden and meet families of some of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

“He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight,” said Bush spokesman, David Sherzer.

Bush began the campaign to hunt down the late son of a Saudi Arabian construction magnate after the September 11, 2001 attacks but was unable to do so during his time in office.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.

Bush had issued a statement congratulating Obama, the US military and intelligence agencies for a “momentous achievement after the President called him to inform him of the successful raid on bin Laden’s compound.

Sherzer said Bush “continues to celebrate with all Americans this important victory in the war on terror.”

Meanwhile, the killing of bin Laden has sharply boosted Americans views of Obama’s leadership and his efforts to fight terrorism.

About four in 10 Americans say their opinion of the President improved after he ordered the successful military operation.

But Reuters reported that the boost could be short-lived as voters focus again on the economy and lingering unemployment — top concerns heading into 2012 election campaign.

“There is no evidence the boost in his approval rating will last until the election, but an event like this could position Obama as more of a military leader and give him more authority,” Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said.

That could put a long-term dent in Republican efforts to paint Obama as weak and indecisive on national security, particularly after criticism he was slow in reacting to the “Arab Spring” protests in the Middle East and North Africa.

“The way we perceive Obama could change, and that will help him in the long run,” Clark said.

Obama’s approval rating had slumped into the mid-40s in recent weeks as voters grew increasingly pessimistic about the future and upset at rising gasoline prices.

In the poll, 39 per cent of Americans said their image of Obama’s leadership had improved, while 52 per cent said it had not changed and 10 per cent said it had worsened.

Forty-two per cent said they had a higher opinion of Obama’s handling of anti-terrorism efforts, with 50 per cent saying it was unchanged and seven per cent that it had worsened.

The poll was conducted on Monday with 1,010 adults interviewed online.

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