Bin Laden’s wife not killed in raid, White House says

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – A woman killed during the  U.S. raid of Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan was not his  wife and was not used as a human shield by the al Qaeda leader  before his death, a U.S. official said today, correcting an  earlier description.
John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s top counter-  terrorism adviser, told reporters earlier that the slain woman  had been one of bin Laden’s wives and had been used — perhaps  voluntarily — as a shield during the firefight.
However, a different White House official said that account  had turned out not to be the case. Bin Laden’s wife was injured  but not killed in the assault.
U.S. officials have said a small U.S. strike team, dropped  by helicopter to bin Laden’s hide-out near the Pakistani  capital of Islamabad under cover of night, shot the al Qaeda  leader dead with bullets to the chest and head. He did not  return fire.