- ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani intelligence official has said that Osama Bin Laden was “cash strapped” in his final days and that Al-Qaeda had split into two factions, with the larger one controlled by the group’s No.
- 2, Ayman Al-Zawahri.
The intelligence official spoke to a small group of Pakistani reporters late Thursday. Two journalists at the meeting told The Associated Press what the official said, asking their names not be used because of the sensitivity of the meeting.
The official didn’t provide details or elaborate how his agency made the conclusions about Bin Laden.
The image of Pakistan’s intelligence agency has been battered in the wake of Monday’s US commando raid that killed Bin Laden. Portraying him as isolated and weak may be aimed at trying to deflect attention from that.
