ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Al Qaeda confirmed Osama bin Laden was dead on Friday,
dispelling some of the fog around the killing of the “holy warrior,” and vowed
to mount more attacks on the West.
The announcement by the Islamist network, which promised to publish a taped
message from bin Laden soon, appeared likely to silence doubts expressed by some
that he had died at all.n a statement online, it said bin Laden’s blood “is more precious to us and to

every Muslim than to be wasted in vain.”
“It will remain, with permission from Allah the Almighty, a curse that hunts the
Americans and their collaborators and chases them inside and outside their
country.”
Al Qaeda urged Pakistanis to rise up against their government to “cleanse” the
country of what it called the shame brought on it by bin Laden’s shooting and of
the “filth of the Americans who spread corruption in it.”
“Before the sheikh passed from this world and before he could share with the
Islamic nation in its joys over its revolutions in the face of the oppressors,
he recorded a voice recording of congratulations and advice which we will
publish soon, God willing,” the militant group said.
“We warn the Americans not to harm the corpse of the sheikh or expose it to any
indecent treatment or to harm any members of his family, living or dead, and to
deliver the corpses to their families,” it added. U.S. officials say bin Laden’s
body has been buried at sea.
Anger and suspicion between Washington and Islamabad showed no sign of
dispersing.
A U.S. drone killed 17 in northwest Pakistan, despite warnings from the
Pakistani military against the mounting of attacks within its borders. Islamists
in the south rallied to vow revenge for the shooting of the “martyr” bin Laden.
Afghan Taliban and Islamist Indonesian youths made similar threats.