Editorial notes bin Laden's impact

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 3 (UPI) -- The killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by U.S. forces marked the end of an era but also raises questions, Pakistan's Dawn said in a Tuesday editorial.

"He is dead, and his demise marks the end of an era. America has finally killed the man whose pursuit had consumed the country for almost a decade, an extremist who inspired even more violence than he himself perpetuated," said the editorial in the country's leading newspaper.

Bin Laden was killed Monday in a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs at a compound in Abbottabad, northeast of Islamabad.

The editorial said bin Laden's killing raises "a slew of questions about the level of cooperation with Pakistani intelligence and the military ...

"Were they taken into confidence? If so, at what point? Were they consulted or simply informed? Did they play a role in the operation? If the attempt was purely an American one, were Pakistani radars jammed or dodged? If so, does this point to a failure of Pakistani defense systems? As long as the lack of official disclosure persists, conspiracy theories will continue to spread fear and suspicion here at home," the editorial said.

"As for Pakistan, the time for denial is over. Osama bin Laden was not holed up in a cave in the tribal agencies. He was living in a large house surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire in a garrison town housing a military academy. The idea that the world`s most wanted criminal was spending his days there unnoticed by Pakistani intelligence requires either suspension of disbelief or the conclusion that the authorities are guilty of a massive intelligence failure."