President Barack Obama Would Replicate Osama Bin Laden Mission

Obama Would Replicate bin Laden Mission
VOA News May 22, 2011

U.S. President Barack Obama says if necessary, he would order another raid into Pakistan like the one that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

In an interview with the BBC aired Sunday, Obama said the U.S. respects Pakistan's sovereignty but that his administration's job is to secure the United States. He said he would approve another attack in Pakistan if, in his words, "someone actively planning to kill our people or our allies' people" was found there.

A squad of elite U.S. forces flew into the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2 and killed bin Laden in his walled compound. The attack has strained relations between Washington and Islamabad.

Obama, in the interview, also said he is prepared to open negotiations with the Taliban in an effort to end the fighting in Afghanistan. But he said Taliban leaders must first cut their ties with al-Qaida.

The president's interview with the BBC was conducted in advance of his visit to Britain. The president leaves later Sunday for a European tour that begins with a stop in Ireland. He will also visit France and Poland.

Obama Would Replicate bin Laden Mission
Article from VOA