BBC news 2011-05-03 加文本

BBC news 2011-05-03

BBC News with John Jason

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the killing of the founder of al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden by American special forces is a milestone in the war on terrorism, but that the battle is not yet over. She said that Bin Laden’s death was a message to the Taliban that it could not prevail.

'Our message to the Taliban remains the same. But today it may have even greater resonance - you cannot wait us out; you cannot defeat us; but you can make the choice to abandon al-Qaeda and participate in a peaceful, political process.'

President Obama who announced the death of Osama Bin Laden earlier in the day said the world was now a better place.

The White House counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said US troops had been prepared to take the al-Qaeda leader alive if the opportunity arose, but he resisted and was shot in the head.

'If we had the opportunity to take Bin Laden alive, if he didn’t present any threat, the individuals involved were able and prepared to do that. We had discussed that extensively in a number of meetings in the White House and with the president. The concern was that Bin Laden would oppose any type of capture operation. Indeed he did. There was a firefight. He therefore was killed in that firefight and that’s when the remains were removed.'

Mr Brennan confirmed that the authorities in Pakistan had not been told anything about the operation. The raiders took Bin Laden’s body with them and it was buried at sea. Mr Brennan said America ensured that the correct Islamic funeral rituals were carried out.

Responding to the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Pakistani Taliban threatened attacks against Pakistan and the United States. The international law enforcement agency Interpol called for extra vigilance, saying the death did not represent the demise of al-Qaeda affiliates. More from our security correspondent Gordon Corera.

The concern in many parts of the world is that those who follow Osama Bin Laden may wish to show that the death of their leader has not materially affected their ability to pursue his agenda of violence. Pakistan’s main Taliban faction has already threatened to attack the country’s leaders and army as well as the United States. In London the government has warned Britons overseas to exercise caution in all public places and avoid demonstrations, large crowds of people and public events. Many groups affiliated to al-Qaeda, like the offshoot in Yemen, will be barely affected by Bin Laden’s death since he exercised little operational control.

Saudi Arabia, where Osama Bin Laden was born, welcomed the killing, expressing hope that it would deal a severe blow to al-Qaeda and its ideology. Libyan rebels also welcomed news of his death and urged the United States to kill Colonel Gaddafi as well. In Gaza, the Palestinian Hamas government condemned the killing and described Bin Laden as a 'holy warrior'.

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The security forces in Syria have arrested hundreds of opposition supporters in an ongoing campaign against dissent across the country. One witness in the southern city of Deraa said police conducted house-to-house searches and dragged more than 400 men from their homes, while state media said the army had killed ten armed terrorists and arrested hundreds.

Crowds have attended a funeral in the Libyan capital Tripoli for Colonel Gaddafi’s youngest son Saif al-Arab. He was killed by a NATO air raid on Saturday night. The Libyan government says three of the Libyan leader’s grandchildren also died. Our correspondent Christian Fraser was at the funeral.

The remains were accompanied by his more prominent elder brother Saif al-Islam. He arrived at the funeral in a heavily armoured vehicle. There was tight security. But within the mass ranks of these fervent supporters, he clearly felt safe enough. The crowds were vocal. Around 2,000 came. We were given all the access we needed. They took great care lowering the body into the ground, and there was visible emotion on Saif al-Islam’s face as the covered remains were interred.

Angry commuters have set fire to three passenger trains in Argentina because of severe delays to their journeys. Vladimir Hernandez reports from Buenos Aires.

It happened in the morning rush hour. The news of a number of severe delays to services led to a series of protests at three stations on the Sarmiento suburban rail link which brings thousands of commuters into Buenos Aires. Angry passengers are said to have torched at least eight wagons and thrown ticket vending machines onto rail lines. There was further disruption outside the stations affected.

One of the world’s most valuable violins is to be sold at auction for the benefit of the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The violin is a well-preserved Stradivarius that fetched around $10m when last put up for sale. It’s being sold by Japan’s Nippon Music Foundation.

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