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Statement from al-Qaida to reassure followers also confirms leader’s death.
Abdul Qadir, right, leader of the Pakistani religious party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam addresses a pro-Osama bin Laden rally in Kuchlak, 16 miles north of Quetta, Pakistan, Friday.
AP PHOTO
bin Laden
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s military paints a far different picture than the United States of Osama bin Laden’s final days: not the terror mastermind still trying to strike America, but an aging terrorist hiding in barren rooms, short of money and struggling to maintain his grip on al-Qaida.
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 U.S. military operation that killed the al-Qaida leader and reveal how he was able to avoid capture for nearly 10 years.
Meanwhile, a statement, written in typical al-Qaida style and in the name of the organization’s General Command, was released and seemed mostly intended to reassure followers that the terror group remains vigorous and intact, while also confirming bin Laden’s death.
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. The confiscated materials revealed al-Qaida plans for derailing an American train on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. 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.
Already tense military and intelligence relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have been further strained by the raid that killed bin Laden.
The al-Qaida statement was dated Tuesday, the day after bin Laden’s death. Its authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on militant websites Friday by the al-Fajr Center, al-Qaida’s online media distribution network.
“The blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is too precious to us and to all Muslims to go in vain,” the statement said. “We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries.”
“Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness,” it said, “their blood will be mingled with their tears.”
The confirmation by al-Qaida should remove doubt among all but the most die-hard conspiracy theorists that bin Laden is in fact dead.