Rejecting the charges made by the sons of Osama bin Laden, the U.S. said on Wednesday that President Barack Obama's decision to carry out an attack against the al-Qaeda chief that resulted in his death was “entirely justified” and “legal.”
Omar bin Laden, on of bin Laden's sons, had said in a press statement that the Obama administration not only violated international law, but that the covert U.S. operation that killed his father was also contrary to America's right to a free and fair trial.
Refuting the allegations, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said: “Obama has addressed the legal foundation for the actions that he ordered, and that the attack on bin Laden was entirely justified.”
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In response to a question, Mr. Carney said: “I have addressed the legal foundation for the actions the President ordered. We feel very strongly that the successful mission against the mass murder of Americans and people around the world was entirely justified.”
The sons of bin Laden had denounced the “arbitrary killing” of their father and demanded a United Nations investigation into the circumstances that led to his death.
They asked why the al-Qaeda chief was not arrested and tried in a court to reveal the truth.
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The sons also accused the U.S. of violating its basic legal principles by killing an unarmed man, shooting his family members and disposing of the body in the sea, the New York Times had reported.