Cameron to deliver statement on Bin Laden death

3rd May 2011

The US operation that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden was "justified, lawful and right", David Cameron has said.

The prime minister will later today update MPs on the killing of the Al Qaeda leader. He will address the Commons at around 3.30pm.

Bin Laden was shot dead by US special forces who stormed his villa in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad in the early hours of Monday morning local time.

Cameron said his death represented a "massive step forward" in tackling terrorism, although the world had to be alert to short-term reprisals.

The prime minister sad the Islamabad authorities had "lots of questions" to answer about the support systems Al Qaeda had in Pakistan after it emerged Bin Laden's compound was within a mile of a military training academy.

But he stressed that he takes the "very clear view" that it was in Britain's interests to work with the government of Pakistan.

On Monday the prime minister spoke with both the Pakistan and Afghanistan presidents.

Cameron said the UK "should be working with the democratic forces in Pakistan, who like us, want to combat terrorism and extremism."

"As far as they were concerned, bin Laden was a foreigner who had no business being in Pakistan, who brought nothing but misery to their country.

"That is their strong view," he said.

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Cameron said: "Of course there will be lots of questions about what sort of support system did Bin Laden have in Pakistan - and we need those questions answered - but as we stand today we simply don't know the answers.

"If we turn away from them and give up on them and say 'this is all too difficult and complicated because we don't always get what we want', you are left with a nuclear power in danger of massive extremism and massive instability."

He said the death of the Al Qaeda leader was "clearly a helpful development" in terms of the military campaign in Afghanistan but would not necessarily accelerate the UK's exit.

"I don't think it will necessarily change any timetables but we should use it as an opportunity to say to the Taliban: now is the time to separate yourself from al Qaida, to give up your weapons, to accept the basic tenets of the Afghan constitution."

Cameron, who chaired a 45 minute meeting of the Cobra emergency committee last night, said ministers and officials were working to ensure all possible intelligence was being gathered "and that we are taking every step to keep people in our country safe".

The Cabinet are to gather at Downing Street this morning and the prime minister will later chair a meeting of the National Security Council.

British embassies have been ordered to review security amid fears of reprisal attacks.

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