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Bin Laden has support network in Pakistan: Gillard

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-03 10:06

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday said head of al-Qaida Osama bin Laden "absolutely" had a support network in Pakistan.

Bin Laden was killed in a raid by US forces at a house on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

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Bin Laden's heavily fortified compound was not much more than a kilometer from Pakistan's military academy. And the US government believes the compound was built five years ago specifically to harbor bin Laden.

US counter terrorism adviser John Brennan said it is "inconceivable" bin Laden did not have a support network.

Gillard, who has appeared on several TV and radio programs on Tuesday morning to discuss the fall-out of the death of the world' s most wanted terrorist, said she was "surprised" to learn about his whereabouts, and she agrees with Brennan's comment.

"The rumors tended to be that he was hiding out in mountain locations not in a populated area, very close to Pakistan's capital," Gillard told ABC TV on Tuesday.

"Clearly to be able to be there he must have had some support mechanisms - absolutely."

Gillard said the al-Qaida network had been hurt by the death of its leader, but the terrorist group still posed a risk.

The Australian government had not seen the need to upgrade the terror warning, which is now at medium, Gillard said, adding that there was no specific intelligence indicating it should change.