Associated Press of Pakistan
Pakistan confirms Osama’s death
ISLAMABAD, May 2 (APP): Pakistan on Monday confirmed the death of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in an “intelligence-driven military operation” conducted by the US army, in the early hours at Abbottabad. A statement from the Foreign Office said the most wanted terrorist mastermind was killed in an operation “conducted by the US forces in accordance with declared US policy that Osama bin Ladin will be eliminated in a direct action by the US forces, wherever found in the world.” The Foreign Office termed it “a major setback to terrorist organizations around the world.” The statement said President Obama telephoned President Zardari on the successful US operation which resulted in killing of Osama bin Ladin.
Osama bin Ladin’s death illustrates the resolve of the international community including Pakistan to fight and eliminate terrorism.
The Foreign Office statement said al-Qaeda had declared war on Pakistan. Scores of Al-Qaeda sponsored terrorist attacks resulted in deaths of thousands of innocent Pakistani men, women and children.
Almost, 30,000 Pakistani civilians lost their lives in terrorist attacks in the last few years. More than 5,000 Pakistani security and armed forces officials have been martyred in Pakistan’s campaign against Al-Qaeda, other terrorist organizations and affiliates.
Pakistan has played a significant role in efforts to eliminate terrorism.
“We have had extremely effective intelligence sharing arrangements with several intelligence agencies including that of the US. We will continue to support international efforts against terrorism.”
“It is Pakistan’s stated policy that it will not allow its soil to be used in terrorist attacks against any country. Pakistan’s political leadership, parliament, state institutions and the whole nation are fully united in their resolve to eliminate terrorism,” the statement said.
http://ftpapp.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138168&Itemid=1
Monday, May 2, 2011
Canada: Bin Laden's death: Reactions and Celebrations
The National Post
Bin Laden killed in U.S. special forces raid
By Steve Holland and Kamran Haider, Reuter
WASHINGTON/ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. helicopter raid on a mansion near the Pakistani capital Islamabad early Monday, ending a long worldwide hunt for the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Members of an elite Navy Seals team dropped by helicopter to the compound were under orders to kill not capture bin Laden, who had eluded U.S. forces for 13 years, a senior U.S. security official told Reuters.
“This was a kill operation,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Many analysts see bin Laden’s death as largely symbolic since he was no longer believed to have been issuing operational orders to the many autonomous al Qaeda affiliates around the world.
Fearful of revenge attacks, the United States swiftly issued security warnings to Americans worldwide. A top Republican lawmaker briefed by the White House on bin Laden’s death said U.S. security agencies were working to prevent any attacks on the United States or its installations overseas.
“This is a key moment because al Qaeda has to avenge. This is a terrible defeat for them and they have to move as quickly as they can, and it’s up to us to stop them,” said congressman Peter King.
Bin Laden’s death is unlikely to have any impact on the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan spawned by the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington and New York. U.S. forces there are facing record violence by a resurgent Taliban, which has vowed to avenge his death.
President Barack Obama, whose popularity has been hit hard by rising gasoline prices, will likely see a short-term bounce in his approval ratings. But he may also come under more pressure from Americans to speed up a planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from the unpopular war in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials said bin Laden was found in a million-dollar compound in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad. After 40 minutes of fighting, bin Laden was among several people in the mansion killed.
A source familiar with the operation said bin Laden was shot in the head. A senior U.S. official in Washington said the al Qaeda leader was killed in a firefight after he resisted the assault force.
Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said bin Laden was buried at sea. A third official said this was done to prevent a gravesite on land becoming a shrine for followers.
“Justice has been done,” Obama declared in a dramatic late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive head of the militant Islamic group behind a series of deadly bombings across the world.
PAKISTAN TOLD AFTER RAID
Leaders worldwide praised the killing as a dramatic success in the war against al Qaeda, a mood reflected in financial markets. The dollar and stocks rose, while oil and gold fell, on the view bin Laden’s death reduced global security risks.
In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said “Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction.”
Bin Laden’s death “secures a measure of justice” for the 24 Canadians who were murdered in the 9/11 attacks, Harper said.
However, “bin Laden’s death does not end the threat of international terrorism. Sadly, others will take his place,” Harper added.
“But, this does remind us why Canadian armed forces personnel have been deployed to Afghanistan: to deny al-Qaida and organizations like it, the use of Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attack was conceived and planned.”
Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving Americans thronged outside the White House and in the streets of New York after Obama’s announcement.
It was the biggest national security victory for the president since he took office in early 2009 and will make it difficult for Republicans to portray Democrats as weak on security as he seeks re-election in 2012.
In sharp contrast, on the streets of Saudi Arabia, bin Laden’s native land which stripped him of his citizenship after Sept. 11, there was a mood of disbelief and sorrow among many.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas mourned bin Laden as an “Arab holy warrior.”
But many in the Arab world felt his death was long overdue. For many Arabs, inspired by the popular upheavals in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere over the past few months, the news of bin Laden’s death had less significance than it once might have.
The operation could complicate relations with Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the battle against militancy and the war in Afghanistan. Those ties have already been frayed over U.S. drone strikes in the west of the country and the six-week imprisonment of a CIA contractor earlier this year.
A U.S. official said Pakistani authorities were told the details of the raid after it had taken place.
The revelation bin Laden was living in style will hugely embarrass Pakistani officials, who will be under pressure to explain how he could have been right under their noses. Residents in Abbottabad said a Pakistani military training academy is near the compound.
“For some time there will be a lot of tension between Washington and Islamabad because bin Laden seems to have been living here close to Islamabad,” said Imtiaz Gul, a Pakistani security analyst.
- With files from Postmedia News
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/Laden+killed+special+forces+raid/4707319/story.html
Bin Laden killed in U.S. special forces raid
By Steve Holland and Kamran Haider, Reuter
WASHINGTON/ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. helicopter raid on a mansion near the Pakistani capital Islamabad early Monday, ending a long worldwide hunt for the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Members of an elite Navy Seals team dropped by helicopter to the compound were under orders to kill not capture bin Laden, who had eluded U.S. forces for 13 years, a senior U.S. security official told Reuters.
“This was a kill operation,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Many analysts see bin Laden’s death as largely symbolic since he was no longer believed to have been issuing operational orders to the many autonomous al Qaeda affiliates around the world.
Fearful of revenge attacks, the United States swiftly issued security warnings to Americans worldwide. A top Republican lawmaker briefed by the White House on bin Laden’s death said U.S. security agencies were working to prevent any attacks on the United States or its installations overseas.
“This is a key moment because al Qaeda has to avenge. This is a terrible defeat for them and they have to move as quickly as they can, and it’s up to us to stop them,” said congressman Peter King.
Bin Laden’s death is unlikely to have any impact on the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan spawned by the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington and New York. U.S. forces there are facing record violence by a resurgent Taliban, which has vowed to avenge his death.
President Barack Obama, whose popularity has been hit hard by rising gasoline prices, will likely see a short-term bounce in his approval ratings. But he may also come under more pressure from Americans to speed up a planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from the unpopular war in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials said bin Laden was found in a million-dollar compound in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad. After 40 minutes of fighting, bin Laden was among several people in the mansion killed.
A source familiar with the operation said bin Laden was shot in the head. A senior U.S. official in Washington said the al Qaeda leader was killed in a firefight after he resisted the assault force.
Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said bin Laden was buried at sea. A third official said this was done to prevent a gravesite on land becoming a shrine for followers.
“Justice has been done,” Obama declared in a dramatic late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive head of the militant Islamic group behind a series of deadly bombings across the world.
PAKISTAN TOLD AFTER RAID
Leaders worldwide praised the killing as a dramatic success in the war against al Qaeda, a mood reflected in financial markets. The dollar and stocks rose, while oil and gold fell, on the view bin Laden’s death reduced global security risks.
In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said “Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction.”
Bin Laden’s death “secures a measure of justice” for the 24 Canadians who were murdered in the 9/11 attacks, Harper said.
However, “bin Laden’s death does not end the threat of international terrorism. Sadly, others will take his place,” Harper added.
“But, this does remind us why Canadian armed forces personnel have been deployed to Afghanistan: to deny al-Qaida and organizations like it, the use of Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attack was conceived and planned.”
Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving Americans thronged outside the White House and in the streets of New York after Obama’s announcement.
It was the biggest national security victory for the president since he took office in early 2009 and will make it difficult for Republicans to portray Democrats as weak on security as he seeks re-election in 2012.
In sharp contrast, on the streets of Saudi Arabia, bin Laden’s native land which stripped him of his citizenship after Sept. 11, there was a mood of disbelief and sorrow among many.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas mourned bin Laden as an “Arab holy warrior.”
But many in the Arab world felt his death was long overdue. For many Arabs, inspired by the popular upheavals in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere over the past few months, the news of bin Laden’s death had less significance than it once might have.
The operation could complicate relations with Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the battle against militancy and the war in Afghanistan. Those ties have already been frayed over U.S. drone strikes in the west of the country and the six-week imprisonment of a CIA contractor earlier this year.
A U.S. official said Pakistani authorities were told the details of the raid after it had taken place.
The revelation bin Laden was living in style will hugely embarrass Pakistani officials, who will be under pressure to explain how he could have been right under their noses. Residents in Abbottabad said a Pakistani military training academy is near the compound.
“For some time there will be a lot of tension between Washington and Islamabad because bin Laden seems to have been living here close to Islamabad,” said Imtiaz Gul, a Pakistani security analyst.
- With files from Postmedia News
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/Laden+killed+special+forces+raid/4707319/story.html
Turkey: Bin Laden's holy war
Hurriyet Daily News
Osama bin Laden put 'holy war' on global agenda
Monday, May 2, 2011
ISLAMABAD – Agence France-Presse
With one spectacular attack on Sept. 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden put Islamist "holy war" on the global agenda of the 21st century - and became a household name around the world.
Bin Laden believed the carnage in 2001 - which left around 3,000 people dead - had been aided by God. "America has been hit by Allah at its most vulnerable point," the Saudi-born fundamentalist said.
Just as he had hoped, the hijacked planes that crashed into the Twin Towers as well as Washington and Pennsylvania ushered in a dramatic era of confrontation between the West and Islamic militants.
Though the attack made him the world's most wanted man, and forced him into hiding, it served as inspiration for a global jihadist movement that would grow far beyond any need for his guiding hand.
From the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the 2005 attacks on London's transport system to the emboldened Islamic militants of Pakistan, much in the modern world seemed to flow from that one fateful Tuesday in America.
There was little early sign the soft-spoken bin Laden, reckoned to have dozens of brothers and sisters in his vast and wealthy family, would one day be synonymous with global terror.
Born in Riyadh in 1957, exact date unknown, he was tall even as a youngster and stood about two meters as an adult. He took an engineering degree in 1975 and, though later remembered by those who knew him as always pious, his serious transformation took place four years later.
The year 1979 was a watershed for many young Muslims - the Iranian revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Egypt's peace treaty with Israel all helped radicalize a generation of frustrated believers. Afghanistan became the first focus of his newfound idealism.
Inspired by the initial Muslim resistance to the Russian occupation, a campaign backed by the United States, bin Laden started raising funds and recruiting fighters from across the Islamic world. In 1984 he moved to the Pakistani city of Peshawar, a staging point for mainly Arab militants who - funded by the United States and Saudi Arabia, his future foes - fought jihad against the Soviets.
Stories abounded of the soft-spoken gentleman who visited the militant camps, spreading his largesse and encouraging weary fighters to press on with the battle. "One day in Afghanistan is like one thousand days in an ordinary mosque," Bin Laden said.
The eventual defeat and departure of the mighty Soviet army was seen as a glorious victory, and persuaded bin Laden not to disband the network of financiers and recruits ready to fight for Islam.
Instead, he soon found another cause to rally round back in Saudi Arabia, where the kingdom's rulers had allowed in U.S. troops after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The presence of "infidel" forces in the kingdom - home to Mecca and Medina, the holiest sites in Islam - galvanized his anger. His criticism of the monarchy was so bitter that he was expelled and his citizenship revoked.
Bin Laden then took his four wives and 10 children to Islamist-governed Sudan, where a regime that was fighting an internal war against Christian and animist rebels was more than happy to welcome him.
In five years there he consolidated the operations of his group - dubbed al-Qaeda, or The Base - and joined forces with Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian militant who became his deputy and later the "public face" of the organisation.
Bin Laden left Sudan in 1996, around the same time that Western intelligence agencies began to link al-Qaeda to attacks on U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia and the failed Somalia operation recalled in the film "Black Hawk Down." His next stop was Afghanistan, where he found another group of supporters in the hardline Taliban.
Bin Laden provided cash and fighters as the Taliban imposed their strict version of Islam on the country. In exchange, they let him run the training camps that would turn militant Islam into a global force to be reckoned with.
According to the official U.S. 9/11 inquiry, the CIA estimated that as many as 20,000 militants trained in the camps before Sept. 11. In a 1997 interview with CNN, one of the few times he met Western reporters, bin Laden clearly stated his goals for all the world to hear. "We declared jihad against the U.S. government, because the U.S. government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical," he said.
Whether he would be captured and killed or not, bin Laden had fulfilled his life's mission on 9/11 - galvanizing Muslim militants worldwide in the struggle to make Islam one day reign supreme.
During his years on the run, bin Laden would have seen how his beliefs had caught fire with young and often angry idealists around the globe. "Jihad will continue," he said not long after Sept. 11. "Even if I am not around."
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=osama-bin-laden-put-holy-war-on-global-agenda-2011-05-02
Osama bin Laden put 'holy war' on global agenda
Monday, May 2, 2011
ISLAMABAD – Agence France-Presse
With one spectacular attack on Sept. 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden put Islamist "holy war" on the global agenda of the 21st century - and became a household name around the world.
Bin Laden believed the carnage in 2001 - which left around 3,000 people dead - had been aided by God. "America has been hit by Allah at its most vulnerable point," the Saudi-born fundamentalist said.
Just as he had hoped, the hijacked planes that crashed into the Twin Towers as well as Washington and Pennsylvania ushered in a dramatic era of confrontation between the West and Islamic militants.
Though the attack made him the world's most wanted man, and forced him into hiding, it served as inspiration for a global jihadist movement that would grow far beyond any need for his guiding hand.
From the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the 2005 attacks on London's transport system to the emboldened Islamic militants of Pakistan, much in the modern world seemed to flow from that one fateful Tuesday in America.
There was little early sign the soft-spoken bin Laden, reckoned to have dozens of brothers and sisters in his vast and wealthy family, would one day be synonymous with global terror.
Born in Riyadh in 1957, exact date unknown, he was tall even as a youngster and stood about two meters as an adult. He took an engineering degree in 1975 and, though later remembered by those who knew him as always pious, his serious transformation took place four years later.
The year 1979 was a watershed for many young Muslims - the Iranian revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Egypt's peace treaty with Israel all helped radicalize a generation of frustrated believers. Afghanistan became the first focus of his newfound idealism.
Inspired by the initial Muslim resistance to the Russian occupation, a campaign backed by the United States, bin Laden started raising funds and recruiting fighters from across the Islamic world. In 1984 he moved to the Pakistani city of Peshawar, a staging point for mainly Arab militants who - funded by the United States and Saudi Arabia, his future foes - fought jihad against the Soviets.
Stories abounded of the soft-spoken gentleman who visited the militant camps, spreading his largesse and encouraging weary fighters to press on with the battle. "One day in Afghanistan is like one thousand days in an ordinary mosque," Bin Laden said.
The eventual defeat and departure of the mighty Soviet army was seen as a glorious victory, and persuaded bin Laden not to disband the network of financiers and recruits ready to fight for Islam.
Instead, he soon found another cause to rally round back in Saudi Arabia, where the kingdom's rulers had allowed in U.S. troops after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The presence of "infidel" forces in the kingdom - home to Mecca and Medina, the holiest sites in Islam - galvanized his anger. His criticism of the monarchy was so bitter that he was expelled and his citizenship revoked.
Bin Laden then took his four wives and 10 children to Islamist-governed Sudan, where a regime that was fighting an internal war against Christian and animist rebels was more than happy to welcome him.
In five years there he consolidated the operations of his group - dubbed al-Qaeda, or The Base - and joined forces with Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian militant who became his deputy and later the "public face" of the organisation.
Bin Laden left Sudan in 1996, around the same time that Western intelligence agencies began to link al-Qaeda to attacks on U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia and the failed Somalia operation recalled in the film "Black Hawk Down." His next stop was Afghanistan, where he found another group of supporters in the hardline Taliban.
Bin Laden provided cash and fighters as the Taliban imposed their strict version of Islam on the country. In exchange, they let him run the training camps that would turn militant Islam into a global force to be reckoned with.
According to the official U.S. 9/11 inquiry, the CIA estimated that as many as 20,000 militants trained in the camps before Sept. 11. In a 1997 interview with CNN, one of the few times he met Western reporters, bin Laden clearly stated his goals for all the world to hear. "We declared jihad against the U.S. government, because the U.S. government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical," he said.
Whether he would be captured and killed or not, bin Laden had fulfilled his life's mission on 9/11 - galvanizing Muslim militants worldwide in the struggle to make Islam one day reign supreme.
During his years on the run, bin Laden would have seen how his beliefs had caught fire with young and often angry idealists around the globe. "Jihad will continue," he said not long after Sept. 11. "Even if I am not around."
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=osama-bin-laden-put-holy-war-on-global-agenda-2011-05-02
Turkey: Obama: "Justice has been done"
Hurriyet Daily News
Obama: Al-Qaeda head bin Laden dead
AP
Osama bin Laden, the elusive mastermind behind the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that led the United States into war in Afghanistan and later Iraq, was killed in a firefight, President Barack Obama said Sunday.
Bin Laden's death at a compound in Pakistan ended the world's most widely-watched manhunt, and jubilant crowds gathered outside the White House and at ground zero in New York as word spread late at night.
"Justice has been done," the president said.
A small team of Americans killed bin Laden early Sunday in the town of Abbottabat, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital Islamabad, U.S. and Pakistani officials said. The team took custody of his remains and American officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.
Three adult males were also killed in Sunday's raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaeda.
The death of the worlds's most-wanted man came just months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's 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 Laden's 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.
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 Laden's.
The raid occurred in the early morning hours Sunday. Administration officials offered some details of the operation.
Based on statements given by U.S. 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.
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 Laden's 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 Manhattan's 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 America's 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.
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 nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda.
"His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's 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.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=obama-al-qaida-head-bin-laden-dead-2011-05-02
Obama: Al-Qaeda head bin Laden dead
AP
Osama bin Laden, the elusive mastermind behind the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that led the United States into war in Afghanistan and later Iraq, was killed in a firefight, President Barack Obama said Sunday.
Bin Laden's death at a compound in Pakistan ended the world's most widely-watched manhunt, and jubilant crowds gathered outside the White House and at ground zero in New York as word spread late at night.
"Justice has been done," the president said.
A small team of Americans killed bin Laden early Sunday in the town of Abbottabat, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital Islamabad, U.S. and Pakistani officials said. The team took custody of his remains and American officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.
Three adult males were also killed in Sunday's raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaeda.
The death of the worlds's most-wanted man came just months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's 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 Laden's 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.
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 Laden's.
The raid occurred in the early morning hours Sunday. Administration officials offered some details of the operation.
Based on statements given by U.S. 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.
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 Laden's 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 Manhattan's 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 America's 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.
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 nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda.
"His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's 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.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=obama-al-qaida-head-bin-laden-dead-2011-05-02
Israel: Netanyahu praises killing of bin Laden
Haaretz
Netanyahu: Killing of bin Laden is 'resounding victory for justice'
Premier's comments follow announcement by U.S. President Obama that American forces had killed the al Qaida leader; President Peres: Bin Laden was fated to be hanged for hi crimes.
By Barak Ravid
read the rest of the article:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-killing-of-bin-laden-is-resounding-victory-for-justice-1.359332
Netanyahu: Killing of bin Laden is 'resounding victory for justice'
Premier's comments follow announcement by U.S. President Obama that American forces had killed the al Qaida leader; President Peres: Bin Laden was fated to be hanged for hi crimes.
By Barak Ravid
read the rest of the article:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-killing-of-bin-laden-is-resounding-victory-for-justice-1.359332
Israel: World Leaders react to Bin Laden news
Haaretz
World leaders hail bin Laden killing: 'The world's most-wanted international terrorist is no more'
Britain , France and Interpol also sound warning that al-Qaida could attempt to stage attacks to revenge death of terror group's leader.
By Danna Harman and The Associated Press
World leaders on Monday hailed the death of al-Qaida chief by American forces in Pakistan as a decisive blow in the fight against terrorism, but some sounded a note of caution that reprisals by the Islamist group could follow.
Russia praised the killing as a "serious success" and vowed there would be no escape for global terrorists.
"Revenge is inescapable for all terrorists," the Kremlin press service said in the first official comment on the death of bin Laden, architect of the airliner attacks on New York's World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Only a joint struggle against global terrorism can bring a result," it added in a statement. "Russia is ready to increase its cooperation."
Moscow is fighting an insurgency in the North Caucasus, and says that rebels with links to al-Qaida have been involved in attacks both there and in the Russian heartland.
"Russia was one of the first countries to encounter the dangers posed by global terrorism, and unfortunately knows from direct experience what al Qaeda stands for," the Kremlin said.
Pakistan, meanwhile, called bin Laden's death a major setback to terrorist organizations around the world.
"This operation was conducted by the U.S. Forces in accordance with declared U.S. policy that Osama bin Laden will be eliminated in a direct action by the U.S. Forces, wherever found in the world," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Critics have long accused elements of Pakistan's security establishment of protecting bin Laden, though Islamabad has always denied this. Ties between the United States and Pakistan have hit a low point in recent months over the future of Afghanistan, and any hint of possible Pakistani collusion with bin Laden could hit them hard even amid the jubilation of getting American's No. 1 enemy.
One Pakistani official said the choppers took off from a Pakistani air base, suggesting some cooperation in the raid. But President Barack Obama did not thank Pakistan in his statement on bin Laden's death.
British Prime Minister David Cameron also welcomed the news of the terrorist leader's demise Monday, while warning that the country would have to remain vigilant for revenge attacks.
British embassies have been asked to review their security to guard against reprisals, but the formal level of security alert in Britain was left unchanged.
Cameron said in a televised statement from his official country residence Chequers that bin Laden's death would be "welcomed right across our country."
"Of course, it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terror. Indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead. But it is, I believe, a massive step forward," he said.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he expected heightened vigilance at posts abroad for "some time to come."
"There may be parts of al-Qaida that will try to show that they are still in business in the coming weeks as indeed some of them are," Hague told BBC Radio 4, during a trip to Cairo.
"I have already this morning asked our embassies to review their security."
Britain remains at its second-highest threat level of severe, meaning a militant attack is considered highly likely.
Cameron said bin Laden had been responsible for ordering the death of many British citizens both at home and in other parts of the world.
In July 2005, four young British Islamists inspired by al-Qaida killed 52 commuters in suicide bomb attacks on the capital's transport network, and security services have since foiled a number of plots.
"Above all today we should think of the victims of the poisonous extremism that this man has been responsible for," Cameron said.
"Well, you end up in the business of world politics, terrorism, diplomacy, not being surprised by anything in the end," Hague said, when asked about bin Laden's whereabouts.
Bin Laden was "the world's most prominent terrorist leader" and his death in the long-term was a "very positive development", the foreign secretary said.
But Britain's work in Afghanistan would continue to be "phenomenally difficult and must go on", he added. "So it would be wrong to draw the conclusion that suddenly we have solved a mass of the world's problems."
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was felt relief at the news of bin Laden's death, hailing what she called a decisive strike by the U.S. against al-Qaida.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said bin Laden's death was "good news for all men in the world who think freely and are peaceful"
Westerwelle's Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini, called it "a victory of good over evil, of justice over cruelty."
"The scourge of terrorism has suffered a historic defeat but it's not the end of al-Qaida," French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned in a statement. "The combat against the criminals who claim to form part of it should continue without respite and unite all the states who are victims of these crimes," he said.
"We will be more vigilant than ever. The terrorist threat is high,” added French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. "The fight is certainly not over against the worst kind of cowardice, attacks on the innocent."
France-based international police agency Interpol also warned Monday that extra vigilance will be needed to combat a heightened terrorism risk after following the killing.
"The world's most-wanted international terrorist is no more, but the death of bin Laden does not represent the demise of al-Qaida affiliates and those inspired by al-Qaida, who have and will continue to engage in terrorist attacks around the world," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said.
"We therefore need to remain united and focused in our ongoing cooperation and fight, not only against this global threat but also against terrorism by any group anywhere."
The Vatican said Monday that bin Laden will have to answer to God for having killed many people and exploiting religion to spread hate.
Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that while Christians "do not rejoice" over a death, it serves to remind them of "each person's responsibility before God and men".
"Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes," he said.
The Vatican has often condemned the concept of violence in God's name.
Lombardi also said the Vatican hoped that the death of bin Laden "would not be an occasion for more hate, but for peace."
India seized on the killing of Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan on Monday, saying it showed once again that its long-standing rival remained a haven for militants.
New Delhi's stern response came weeks after the leaders of the two sides took steps to rebuild ties using the goodwill generated by a cricket match between their teams which they watched together in the northern Indian town of Mohali.
"We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President Obama said that the fire fight in which Osama Bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad "deep inside Pakistan"," Indian Home Minister P.Chidambaram said in a
statement.
"This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia, the country of Osama bin Laden's birth, hopes his killing will help the international fight against terrorism and stamp out the "misguided thought" behind it, the Saudi state news agency said on Monday.
"An official source expressed the hope of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the elimination of the leader of the terrorist al-Qaida organisation would be a step toward supporting international efforts aimed at fighting terrorism," the news agency said.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/world-leaders-hail-bin-laden-killing-the-world-s-most-wanted-international-terrorist-is-no-more-1.35939
World leaders hail bin Laden killing: 'The world's most-wanted international terrorist is no more'
Britain , France and Interpol also sound warning that al-Qaida could attempt to stage attacks to revenge death of terror group's leader.
By Danna Harman and The Associated Press
World leaders on Monday hailed the death of al-Qaida chief by American forces in Pakistan as a decisive blow in the fight against terrorism, but some sounded a note of caution that reprisals by the Islamist group could follow.
Russia praised the killing as a "serious success" and vowed there would be no escape for global terrorists.
"Revenge is inescapable for all terrorists," the Kremlin press service said in the first official comment on the death of bin Laden, architect of the airliner attacks on New York's World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Only a joint struggle against global terrorism can bring a result," it added in a statement. "Russia is ready to increase its cooperation."
Moscow is fighting an insurgency in the North Caucasus, and says that rebels with links to al-Qaida have been involved in attacks both there and in the Russian heartland.
"Russia was one of the first countries to encounter the dangers posed by global terrorism, and unfortunately knows from direct experience what al Qaeda stands for," the Kremlin said.
Pakistan, meanwhile, called bin Laden's death a major setback to terrorist organizations around the world.
"This operation was conducted by the U.S. Forces in accordance with declared U.S. policy that Osama bin Laden will be eliminated in a direct action by the U.S. Forces, wherever found in the world," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Critics have long accused elements of Pakistan's security establishment of protecting bin Laden, though Islamabad has always denied this. Ties between the United States and Pakistan have hit a low point in recent months over the future of Afghanistan, and any hint of possible Pakistani collusion with bin Laden could hit them hard even amid the jubilation of getting American's No. 1 enemy.
One Pakistani official said the choppers took off from a Pakistani air base, suggesting some cooperation in the raid. But President Barack Obama did not thank Pakistan in his statement on bin Laden's death.
British Prime Minister David Cameron also welcomed the news of the terrorist leader's demise Monday, while warning that the country would have to remain vigilant for revenge attacks.
British embassies have been asked to review their security to guard against reprisals, but the formal level of security alert in Britain was left unchanged.
Cameron said in a televised statement from his official country residence Chequers that bin Laden's death would be "welcomed right across our country."
"Of course, it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terror. Indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead. But it is, I believe, a massive step forward," he said.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he expected heightened vigilance at posts abroad for "some time to come."
"There may be parts of al-Qaida that will try to show that they are still in business in the coming weeks as indeed some of them are," Hague told BBC Radio 4, during a trip to Cairo.
"I have already this morning asked our embassies to review their security."
Britain remains at its second-highest threat level of severe, meaning a militant attack is considered highly likely.
Cameron said bin Laden had been responsible for ordering the death of many British citizens both at home and in other parts of the world.
In July 2005, four young British Islamists inspired by al-Qaida killed 52 commuters in suicide bomb attacks on the capital's transport network, and security services have since foiled a number of plots.
"Above all today we should think of the victims of the poisonous extremism that this man has been responsible for," Cameron said.
"Well, you end up in the business of world politics, terrorism, diplomacy, not being surprised by anything in the end," Hague said, when asked about bin Laden's whereabouts.
Bin Laden was "the world's most prominent terrorist leader" and his death in the long-term was a "very positive development", the foreign secretary said.
But Britain's work in Afghanistan would continue to be "phenomenally difficult and must go on", he added. "So it would be wrong to draw the conclusion that suddenly we have solved a mass of the world's problems."
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was felt relief at the news of bin Laden's death, hailing what she called a decisive strike by the U.S. against al-Qaida.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said bin Laden's death was "good news for all men in the world who think freely and are peaceful"
Westerwelle's Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini, called it "a victory of good over evil, of justice over cruelty."
"The scourge of terrorism has suffered a historic defeat but it's not the end of al-Qaida," French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned in a statement. "The combat against the criminals who claim to form part of it should continue without respite and unite all the states who are victims of these crimes," he said.
"We will be more vigilant than ever. The terrorist threat is high,” added French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. "The fight is certainly not over against the worst kind of cowardice, attacks on the innocent."
France-based international police agency Interpol also warned Monday that extra vigilance will be needed to combat a heightened terrorism risk after following the killing.
"The world's most-wanted international terrorist is no more, but the death of bin Laden does not represent the demise of al-Qaida affiliates and those inspired by al-Qaida, who have and will continue to engage in terrorist attacks around the world," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said.
"We therefore need to remain united and focused in our ongoing cooperation and fight, not only against this global threat but also against terrorism by any group anywhere."
The Vatican said Monday that bin Laden will have to answer to God for having killed many people and exploiting religion to spread hate.
Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that while Christians "do not rejoice" over a death, it serves to remind them of "each person's responsibility before God and men".
"Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes," he said.
The Vatican has often condemned the concept of violence in God's name.
Lombardi also said the Vatican hoped that the death of bin Laden "would not be an occasion for more hate, but for peace."
India seized on the killing of Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan on Monday, saying it showed once again that its long-standing rival remained a haven for militants.
New Delhi's stern response came weeks after the leaders of the two sides took steps to rebuild ties using the goodwill generated by a cricket match between their teams which they watched together in the northern Indian town of Mohali.
"We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President Obama said that the fire fight in which Osama Bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad "deep inside Pakistan"," Indian Home Minister P.Chidambaram said in a
statement.
"This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia, the country of Osama bin Laden's birth, hopes his killing will help the international fight against terrorism and stamp out the "misguided thought" behind it, the Saudi state news agency said on Monday.
"An official source expressed the hope of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the elimination of the leader of the terrorist al-Qaida organisation would be a step toward supporting international efforts aimed at fighting terrorism," the news agency said.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/world-leaders-hail-bin-laden-killing-the-world-s-most-wanted-international-terrorist-is-no-more-1.35939
Israel: Hamas outraged at Bin Laden killing
Haaretz
Hamas slams killing of 'holy warrior' Osama bin Laden
Comments by Hamas Gaza Strip leader Ismail Haniyeh come after a spokesman of the West Bank-ruling Palestinian Authority said bin Laden's death could advance the cause of peace.
By Jack Khoury and Reuters
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday condemned the killing by U.S. forces of Osama bin Laden and mourned him as an "Arab holy warrior."
"We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood," Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, told reporters.
Though he noted doctrinal differences between bin Laden's al-Qaida and Hamas, Haniyeh said: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs."
Haniyeh's reported comments came following an earlier remark by a Palestinian Authority spokesman who said Monday the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces was "good for the cause of peace,"
"Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide but what counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods -- the violent methods -- that were created and encouraged by Bin Laden and others in the world," PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said.
The PA's comments came following an announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama late Sunday, saying that bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader who masterminded the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States is dead and the U.S. had recovered his body,
Representatives from Hamas and Fatah announced last week their intention to reconcile, after a four-year-long bitter and at times violent rift, which saw Hamas administering the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the control of the Fatah dominated Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian officials said on Friday that Egypt has invited Palestinian leaders to Cairo for the signing of the reconciliation agreement which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-slams-killing-of-holy-warrior-osama-bin-laden-1.359416
Hamas slams killing of 'holy warrior' Osama bin Laden
Comments by Hamas Gaza Strip leader Ismail Haniyeh come after a spokesman of the West Bank-ruling Palestinian Authority said bin Laden's death could advance the cause of peace.
By Jack Khoury and Reuters
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday condemned the killing by U.S. forces of Osama bin Laden and mourned him as an "Arab holy warrior."
"We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood," Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, told reporters.
Though he noted doctrinal differences between bin Laden's al-Qaida and Hamas, Haniyeh said: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs."
Haniyeh's reported comments came following an earlier remark by a Palestinian Authority spokesman who said Monday the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces was "good for the cause of peace,"
"Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide but what counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods -- the violent methods -- that were created and encouraged by Bin Laden and others in the world," PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said.
The PA's comments came following an announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama late Sunday, saying that bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader who masterminded the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States is dead and the U.S. had recovered his body,
Representatives from Hamas and Fatah announced last week their intention to reconcile, after a four-year-long bitter and at times violent rift, which saw Hamas administering the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the control of the Fatah dominated Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian officials said on Friday that Egypt has invited Palestinian leaders to Cairo for the signing of the reconciliation agreement which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-slams-killing-of-holy-warrior-osama-bin-laden-1.359416
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