The US wants access to three widows of Osama bin Laden being held by Pakistani authorities, something that could help answer questions about whether any officials knew the Al-Qaeda chief was living in the country, a top American official said.

Pakistan authorities were not immediately available for comment today on the demand, which could be a fresh sticking point between the two countries. US-Pakistani relations were frayed before the unilateral US raid, and appear to have worsened since.

Information from the three women left behind in the house after American commandos killed Bin Laden could also reveal the day-to-day life of Bin Laden, what he has done since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the workings of Al-Qaida.

Several children were also taken into custody, some or all of them believed to be Bin Laden’s. T

he Al-Qaeda chief was found in a large house close to a military academy in the army town of Abbottabad, where he had been living for up to six years.

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