'Osama's widows knew almost nothing'

Even as Pakistan has offered conditional access to Osama's widows, friend of a son of the slain Al Qaeda leader says US investigators may get some information from one of his wives, who is a teacher and "highly educated". But would be "hard pressed" to get details from the others.

Jean Sasson, who had helped Osama's son Omar (missing since the Abbottabad raid) write a memoir, 'Growing Up Bin Laden', said the wives were "confined" and "all business" was kept away from them.

"If they (wives) even asked him, he would refuse to discuss it," Sasson told CNN.

Sasson said women in Osama's household were not allowed to see or meet with any person who came to visit him.

"If any man came into the house to meet with them, these women would not have been allowed to see them, know who they were or show their faces. But (living) with him in the house in close quarters, there's an opportunity that they would know more of the comings and goings."

Sasson said the wives, who are in Pakistani custody since the May 2 raid that killed bin Laden, may only be able to share "a few tidbits" with authorities.