The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan says both nations agree with the United States that killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a "shared achievement" of the three countries.
Marc Grossman made the comment Tuesday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, after a joint meeting with Pakistan's foreign minister and Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister.
Grossman said the three nations believe bin Laden's death is a "shared achievement" because they share a commitment to end violent extremism. He said the al-Qaida chief was an enemy of the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan who committed "murderous acts against civilians" and "violently subverted democratic governments in the region."
U.S. special forces killed bin Laden in a raid on his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on Monday, ending a near decade-long manhunt for the terrorist mastermind. The United States says it did not inform Pakistan of the raid in advance, indicating a lack of trust between the two governments, whose relations have become strained in recent months.
In a joint news conference after the meeting, Pakistani Foreign Minister Salman Bashir said "who did what" in Monday's raid was "beside the point." He said the bin Laden issue is "history" and Pakistan is looking forward to a new chapter of relations with the United States and Afghanistan.
Bashir said Pakistan has engaged in "robust cooperation" in counterterrorism and "sacrificed immensely" in the campaign. He said the Pakistani government will not allow terrorists to use Pakistani soil.
Deputy Afghan Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin told the news conference that Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States should cooperate to achieve peace and stability in the region.
Grossman also dismissed conspiracy theories circulating among Pakistanis who say the lack of visual evidence of bin Laden's death leads them to doubt U.S. claims about the raid that killed him. The U.S. envoy said: "You can have as many conspiracies as you wish. He's dead, it's good."
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
