The White House says it has made no decision on whether to release photographic proof that Osama bin Laden is dead. John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, says the administration will do everything it can to make sure no one can deny U.S. claims that the al-Qaida leader was killed during a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan. But Brennan says still to be determined is whether to release a photo of bin Laden’s dead body. Brennan says one concern is whether doing so could potentially jeopardize similar operations and intelligence sources in the future.
Brennan also says that the U.S. forces who killed Osama bin Laden would have taken him alive if they’d had the opportunity. He says the White House thought bin Laden would resist but that there was a “remote” possibility he could be captured alive. Brennan told reporters at the White House today that the contingency was prepared for. He says that it only would have happened if bin Laden did not pose any threat to the Americans sent to take him out. Since bin Laden fought back, he was killed.
