Image via WikipediaSlain al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, who was shot dead in his hideout by special US forces in Pakistan, was a mass killer of Muslims and not a martyr as a few people are trying to portray, secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said.
In her remarks to the National Conference of Editorial Writers, Clinton said the state department is now working on a narrative "that will convince people he was a murderer, not a martyr," and that bin Laden murdered more Muslims than anyone else.
"He was a mass killer of Muslims," she said. Noting that bin Laden had tremendous sway with so many impressionable people in many parts of the world, Clinton said the US is already seeing something of an effort by the al-Qaida remnants to decide who comes next.
"Any succession crisis provides an opportunity. A lot of people say al-Zawahiri will step into it. But that's not so clear. He doesn't have the same sense of loyalty or inspiration or track record," Clinton said.
"So I think his death, his removal from the leadership, along with two very important points that need to be remembered is that Taliban did not give up al-Qaida when President (George) Bush asked them to after 9/11, because of Mullah Omar's personal relationship with bin Laden. That's gone, so I think it opens up possibilities for dealing with the Taliban that did not exist before," she hoped.
In her remarks to the National Conference of Editorial Writers, Clinton said the state department is now working on a narrative "that will convince people he was a murderer, not a martyr," and that bin Laden murdered more Muslims than anyone else.
"He was a mass killer of Muslims," she said. Noting that bin Laden had tremendous sway with so many impressionable people in many parts of the world, Clinton said the US is already seeing something of an effort by the al-Qaida remnants to decide who comes next.
"Any succession crisis provides an opportunity. A lot of people say al-Zawahiri will step into it. But that's not so clear. He doesn't have the same sense of loyalty or inspiration or track record," Clinton said.
"So I think his death, his removal from the leadership, along with two very important points that need to be remembered is that Taliban did not give up al-Qaida when President (George) Bush asked them to after 9/11, because of Mullah Omar's personal relationship with bin Laden. That's gone, so I think it opens up possibilities for dealing with the Taliban that did not exist before," she hoped.
