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Uncertainty remains after Laden's death

(China Daily) Updated: 2011-05-04 07:58

A long-running manhunt by Washington for Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden ended on Sunday with the killing of the world's top terrorist in Pakistan.

But whether the world is now a safer place remains uncertain.

Pakistan: Unease and Opportunities

Over the years, Washington has argued that bin Laden was hiding in the tribal areas along the Pakistani-Afghan border. Pakistan, however, kept dismissing the claim as "baseless", but bin Laden was killed in a compound in Abbottabad, which is only about 50 kilometers away from Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

Some security experts said Pakistan's relations with the United States will sour after bin Laden's death. But others argue the tracking mission, which included Pakistani help, could help it ease some of the external pressure on the government.

Although a Pakistani government statement said on Monday that Pakistani armed forces were not involved in the operation against Osama bin Laden, local media reports quoted sources as having said that the United States' special task force carried out the mission based on tip-offs from the Pakistani intelligence organizations.

Moreover, given Washington's military drawdown plan for Afghanistan, Pakistan remains a key counter-terrorism partner of the United States in the region.

Yet, Al-Qaida's remaining forces in Pakistan - many of who will be following the group's second most important leader Ayman al-Zawahiri after bin Laden's death, could be a continuing threat that the country will have to deal with properly in the future.