Bin Laden killed in raid
Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 Americans is dead after a United States operation in Pakistan.
Celebrate — A crowd gathered outside the White House Sunday night to celebrate the United State’s most significant achievement in the War on Terror to date. Google Images
According to sources, a team of American special forces located and killed the al Qaeda leader and hold his body in American custody.
“Justice has been done,” President Barak Obama said in his address to the nation.
Bin Laden was located in a compound in Islamabad, Pakistan according to sources.
Obama and his staff decided they had enough information to perform and operation.
After nearly a decade-long manhunt and an international effort from the CIA and other nation’s intelligence agencies, military and intelligence personnel, Navy SEAL Strike Team Six was chosen for the operation.
“Today, at my direction the United States launched an operation …” Obama said. “After a firefight, (the forces) killed Osama and captured his body.”
No American soldiers were injured in the strike, and no Pakistani civilians were harmed.
“New Yorkers have waited ten years for this,” New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Crowds of Americans spilled into the streets of New York, Washington D.C. and other cities, waving flags and chanting “U-S-A.”
“(It is) a good and historic day for both nations,” Obama said, referring to the American and Pakistani governments.
The news of the American victory comes just 60 days before a scheduled withdrawal from the Middle East.
Obama called the success a “testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of our people.”
Officials warn that troops overseas may face heightened threat levels, as an al Qaeda retaliation is possible.
Bin Laden was responsible for not only the 9/11 attacks, but also the bombing of the USS Cole, the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa and the 1993 truck bombing of the World Trade Center.
Obama told the American people that Bin Laden’s death is the, “most significant achievement to date in defeating al Qaeda.”
Obama called former President George W. Bush and informed him of the achievement before the announcement. Bush congratulated Obama and everyone in the U.S. military for a job well done.
“This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001,” Bush said. “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”