Manmohan, Obama Discuss Osama Killing

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to US President Barack Obama late Monday on the killing of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan’s Abbottabad and the situation post the encounter, media reports said on Tuesday.

However, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) denied to share details of their telephonic conversations.

“The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh spoke to President Obama of the United States of America. It was a warm conversation which covered wide-ranging subjects. They discussed further growth and development of India – US relations and the situation in the region,” said a PMO statement.

A statement issued by White House in Washington said Obama spoke to Singh to discuss the “successful American action against Osama bin Laden.” However, it did not give further details.

The White House also remained diplomatic in its statement.

“The two leaders re-affirmed their commitment to building a global, strategic partnership, including defence cooperation, and looked forward to the upcoming meetings of the Strategic Dialogue, the Homeland Security Dialogue, the Joint Space Working Group and the High-Technology Cooperation Group,” said a statement issued by the White House.

But, according to reports, Singh told Obama that Osama’s death is a ‘decisive blow’ on the terrorist outfit and ‘a significant step forward’. He also told the President that all terrorist organizations should be uprooted from Pakistan.

Osama was killed in Pakistan on May 2, ending an almost decade long manhunt for the world’s most sought after terrorist.

Responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, that killed about 3,000 people, bin Laden was hunted worldwide only to be found nearly ten years later in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, which is in close proximity to capital Islamabad.

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