Roll Call/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday said Pakistan’s military and intelligence communities have “a lot of explaining to do” after Osama bin Laden was killed in a huge compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.



Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told reporters on Capitol Hill that Pakistani military and intelligence officials need to answer “a lot of questions.”



“I think that the Pakistani army and intelligence have a lot of questions to answer given the location, the length of time, and the apparent fact that this facility was actually built for bin Laden and its closeness to the central location of the Pakistani army,” Levin said.



“I do think the Pakistani president’s statement today was a very reassuring statement, when he very specifically said that he thinks this is a great victory and he congratulated us on the success of the operation,” Levin continued. “So I’m reassured by his statement – not necessarily suspicious that he knew or that the civilian leadership knew, but I must tell you I hope that he will follow through, that the president of Pakistan [Asif Ali] Zardari will follow through and ask some very tough questions of his own military, his own intelligence. They’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”



Levin was accompanied at Monday’s news conference by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid said President Obama was “very somber” when he informed Reid around 9:30 p.m. Sunday that bin Laden had been killed.



“His death is the most significant victory in our fight against al Qaeda and sends a strong message to terrorists around the world,” Reid said.



“We know there are other terrorists out there, but this is a real shot in the arm to people of good will all over.”



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