UpdateOsama bin Laden killed by US strike team - Obama

02 May 2011 05:50  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS)--America's most wanted fugitive Osama bin Laden is dead following a fire fight with a US strike team, President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

The strike team killed bin Laden on Sunday at a compound at Abbottabad, Pakistan, Obama said in a late night televised address.

“After a firefight they killed Osama bin laden and took custody of his body,” Obama said.

Obama said that shortly after taking office, he directed CIA director Leon Panetta to make the killing or capture of bin Laden a top priority of the US war against terrorist group Al Qaida.

“Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden,” Obama said. It was far from certain - it took many months to run this thread to ground.”

“We had located bin Laden hiding in a compound deep inside Pakistan. Finally, last week, I determined we had enough intelligence to take action and authorised an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice,” Obama continued.

 “Today, at my instructions, the United States launched a targeted operation against the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.” Obama said.

“A small team of Americans carried out that operation with extraordinary courage and capability,” Obama said. “No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties.”

Obama added that counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead the US to bin Laden.

“The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our war against Al Qaida,” Obama said.

The death comes nearly 10 years after the 11 September terror attacks on the US that killed roughly 3,000 people.

As a leader of Al Qaida, Saudi-born bin Laden is believed to have been the architect of the plan to hijack of civilian jetliners in the US that were used to destroy the World Trade Center buildings and heavily damage the Pentagon.

A fourth hijacked jetliner is believed to have been destined to hit the White House but the passengers fought against the terrorists and the airplane crashed in Pennsylvania, killing all aboard.

The US made war against Al Qaida in Afghanistan but bin Laden fled into neighboring Pakistan, Obama said.

Bin Laden was also indicted in bombing attacks against US offices in Kenya and Tanzania.

“Our war is not against Islam,” Obama added. “Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader - he was a mass murderer of Muslims.”

A crowd of US citizens gathered at the White House and cheered upon the announcement of bin Laden’s death.

By: Brian Ford
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