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US Defense Secretary: Death of bin Laden could be ‘Game changer’

GOLDSBORO, NC — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that the death of Osama bin Laden could be a “game changer” in Afghanistan.

“Bin Laden and [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar had a very close personal relationship, and there are others in the Taliban who have felt betrayed by al Qaeda, that it was because of al Qaeda’s attack on the US that the Taliban got thrown out of Afghanistan,” Gates said.

“Frankly, I think it’s too early to make a judgment . . . but I think in six months or so we’ll probably know if it’s made a difference.”