IANS

WASHINGTON THE US raid to take out Osama bin Laden was technically “an act of war”, said former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, who described as “arrogance” US President Barack Obama’s statement that he would order another raid if required.

Osama was gunned down on May 2 by US commandos who stormed the Al Qaeda leader’s hideout in Pakistan’s Abbottabad city.

The US said it had carried out a unilateral assault.

Musharraf told CNN: “No country has a right to intrude into any other country.” “Actually, technically, legally, you see it, it’s an act of war.

So I think it is an irresponsible statement, and I think such arrogance should not be shown, publicly, to the world.” Explaining the “act of war”, Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan for nine years after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, said: “Theoretically, technically, yes indeed, it’s an act of war.” He, however, added it wouldn’t necessarily signal a war.

“How to deal with it is the question, and I leave it to the government there to how they want to deal with it,” he added.

Obama has said he would order another raid like the one which killed Osama if Islamabad did not act on threats developing in the country towards the US or its allies.

Soon after Osama was killed deep inside Pakistan, Musharraf had admitted that he was embarrassed.

Musharraf had said that the Pakistan Army and the Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) could not be blamed for the “slip-up” that saw Osama residing in Abbottabad.

“Yes, I was embarrassed,” said Musharraf.