By AGENCIES
Published: May 2, 2011 06:15 Updated: May 2, 2011 08:28
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said on Sunday.
A small team of Americans killed Bin Laden in a firefight on Sunday at a compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabat, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital Islamabad, US and Pakistani officials said. The team took custody of his remains and American officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.
A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of Bin Ladens death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.
Justice has been done, the president said. The United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda and a terrorist who is responsible for the murder of thousands of men, women and children.
The stunning end to the worlds most widely-watched manhunt came just months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by Bin Ladens Al-Qaeda organization, that killed more than 3,000 people.
Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on the day of the attacks, issued a written statement hailing Bin Ladens death as a momentous achievement.
The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done, Bush said.
Custom-built compound
Obama said he ordered the operation after receiving undisclosed intelligence information. Senior administration officials said the terrorist mastermind was found inside a custom-built compound with two security gates. They said it appeared to have been constructed to harbor one high-value target and that for undisclosed reasons, officials became clear the hideout was Bin Ladens.
Officials also said they believe the death puts Al-Qaeda on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse, but there was no word on the whereabouts of Bin Ladens second-in-command, Ayman Al-Zawahri.
The attacks a decade ago seemed to come out of nowhere, even though Al-Qaeda had previously damaged American targets overseas.
The terrorists hijacked planes, flew one of them into one of Manhattans Twin Towers and, moments later, into the other one. Both buildings collapsed, trapping thousands inside and claiming the lives of firefighters and others who had rushed to help them.
A third plane slammed into the Pentagon, defacing the symbol of Americas military might. A fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers overpowered the hijackers and forced the craft from the air before it could hit its intended target in Washington.
Three others killed in raid
A senior administration official says Obama gave the final order for US officials to go after Bin Laden on Friday.
The official added that a small team found their quarry hiding in a large home in a city north of Islamabad. The raid occurred in the early morning hours Sunday.
Administration officials offered some details of the operation.
Based on statements given by US detainees, intelligence officials have known for years that Bin Laden trusted one Al-Qaeda courier in particular and they believed he might be living with him in hiding. In November, intelligence officials found out where he was living, a huge fortified compound. It was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet (5.5 meters), topped with barbed wire. There were two security gates and no phone or Internet running into the house.
Intelligence officials believed the $1 million home was custom-built to harbor a major terrorist. CIA experts analyzed whether it could be anyone else, but time and again, they decided it was almost certainly Bin Laden.
Three adult males were also killed in Sundays raid, including one of Bin Ladens sons, whom officials did not name. One of Bin Ladens sons, Hamza, is a senior member of Al-Qaeda.
Obama spoke with Bush and former President Bill Clinton on Sunday night to inform them of the developments.
Obama struck a less than boastful tone in his brief announcement, although he said the death of Bin Laden was the most significant achievement to date in our nations effort to defeat Al-Qaeda.
His death does not mark the end of our effort. Theres no doubt that Al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant, he added.
Moments after he spoke, American officials cautioned that the events could lead to heightened threats against the United States.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Americans have kept their promise after Sept. 11, 2001, to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden.
Bloomberg says the killing of the terrorist leader doesnt lessen the suffering Americans experienced at his hands the day the World Trade Center was destroyed but is a critically important victory for the nation. He says its a tribute to the men and women in the armed forces whove fought so hard.
The 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is just months away.
Bloomberg says in a statement he hopes news of Bin Ladens demise will bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones that day.
US officials said that after searching in vain for the Al-Qaeda leader since he disappeared in Afghanistan in late 2001, the Saudi-born extremist was killed in the Pakistani town of Abbotabad and his body recovered.
Having the body may help convince any doubters that Bin Laden is really dead.
He had been the subject of a search since he eluded US soldiers and Afghan militia forces in a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan in 2001.
The trail quickly went cold after he disappeared and many intelligence officials believed he had been hiding in Pakistan.
While in hiding, Bin Laden had taunted the West and advocated his militant Islamist views in videotapes spirited from his hideaway.
Besides Sept. 11, Washington has also linked Bin Laden to a string of attacks including the 1998 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole in Yemen.
