New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's former army chief and president, says that had he been in uniform, he would have apologised to his nation on the intelligence failure over the US operation against Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in Abottabad.

"I may have apologised on behalf of intelligence agencies because this is a great slip up, this is a great embarrassment...and then assured the nation that we will investigate and find out how this slip up occurred and convincing the world that this does not involve (our) complicity," Musharraf said in an interview to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar.

He admitted the lapse was as big as that which led to 9/11, as well as the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. "Well as big as maybe Mumbai, as big as 9/11, it is incompetence, yes," he said.

US naval commandos swooped down on Osama's hideout in Abbottabad in stealth choppers May 2, and shot dead the Al Qaeda leader.

Musharraf became president after a military coup in October 1999. He resigned in August 2008 under pressure from the elected government.