Osama lived for 5 years in Abbottabad: wife

ISLAMABAD: Osama bin Laden's Yemeni wife claimed the Al-Qaeda kingpin had lived for five years in the compound in Abbottabad where he was shot dead by US commandos, Pakistani security officials said Saturday.

The uncorroborated revelation could pile further embarrassment on Pakistan, which is already reeling from accusations of incompetence and complicity in allowing bin Laden to hide out a mere 30 miles (50 kilometres) from Islamabad.

The terror chief's wife, who was shot in the leg during the raid by US Navy SEALs, is undergoing medical treatment and interrogation in Pakistan along with 15 of his other relatives, the officials said.

"She said in Arabic that bin Laden and his family were living in this compound for the last five years and he never left the compound," one said.

"But this is only her statement and we have not yet corroborated it," the official added. A second security official confirmed the information.

On Sunday night US commandos flew in helicopters to the three-storey home in a suburb of Abbottabad, where they discovered bin Laden on the third floor, shot him dead and flew off with his body, which was later buried at sea.

Al-Qaeda has vowed to avenge the architect of the September 11, 2001 attacks, declaring him a "martyr" and calling on Muslims to rise up against the United States. (AFP)