Hamas leader Ismail Haniya condemned on Monday the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a special operation carried out by the U.S. military in Pakistan.
"We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person," Haniya told journalists in Gaza.
"If the news is true, then we consider it a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and bloodshed against Arabs and Muslims," he said.
Bin Laden, the face of global terrorism and mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, was killed in a raid on his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, 50 kilometers outside Islamabad. The operation was carried out by a small special forces team of US Navy Seals just before the dawn on Monday.
U.S. media reports quoted indentified officials as saying that bin Laden's body had been buried at sea to avoid creating a shrine for his followers.
While announcing the killing of bin Laden in a televised statement late on Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama warned against perceiving the killing of bin Laden as a U.S. war against Islam.
"As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not - and never will be - at war with Islam," the president said.
"Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity," he added.
GAZA CITY, May 2 (RIA Novosti)
