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WASHINGTON (AP) - Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was slain in his luxury hideout in Pakistan early Monday in a firefight with U.S. forces, ending a manhunt that spanned a frustrating decade.
"Justice has been done," President Barack Obama said in a dramatic announcement at the White House.
A jubilant crowd of thousands gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death. Hundreds more sang and waved American flags at Ground Zero in New York - where the twin towers that once stood as symbols of American economic power were brought down by bin Laden's hijackers 10 years ago.
Another hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on that cloudless day, and a fourth was commandeered by passengers who forced it to the ground - at cost of their own lives - before it could reach its intended target in Washington.
The United States attacked Afghanistan within months, pursuing al-Qaida, and an invasion of Iraq followed as part of the Bush administration's global war on terror.
U.S. officials said the CIA tracked bin Laden to his location, then elite troops from Navy SEAL Team Six, a top military counter-terrorism unit, flew to the hideout in four helicopters. Bin Laden was shot in the head in an ensuing firefight, these officials said, adding that he and his guards had resisted his attackers. U.S. personnel identified him by facial recognition, the official said, declining to say whether DNA analysis had also been used.
The U.S. team took custody of bin Laden's remains. A U.S. official later said bin Laden had been buried at sea and the remains were handled in accordance with Islamic practice, which calls for speedy burial.
The official, who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters, said it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. The official did not say where the body was buried.
Obama said no Americans were harmed in the operation. Three adult males were also killed in the 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-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.
The operation occurred in pre-dawn darkness on Monday in Pakistan - Sunday afternoon in Washington. Obama went on television late Sunday night to make the announcement.
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I believe this was a great success for the U.S military and government. They could not have done a much better job. I think it was right for them to wait until there was enough information for us to know bin Laden was indeed there. Obama waited until the right moment to authorize the attack and those navy seals did a great job in killing the very dangerous mastermind of 9/11 without losing a single American. Great job guys!
ReplyDeleteYES! Osama finally got what was coming to him! And America's finest did a dang fine job in killing the son of a gun. I think he shoud've died a much more slow and painful death, but the fact that he is dead is good enough for me. Nice job SEALS!
ReplyDeleteI think what the American military did was so amazing and a great success! It isn't a very good idea to have a really dangerous terrorist alive and able to plan other things, so it's good he died. Good job :)
ReplyDeleteI think its great that we got rid of Bin Laden. Like Ryan said, the way the military did it was amazing. I've heard some people say that it was bad of us to kill him and that he just should've been punished but I think thats crazy. You can't just punish someone who has killed thousands of people, they need to be gone so that they can never do that again. I think the way the U.S. handled this was great.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is huge for the U.S. It seems like he was sort of leaning toward genocide, just at a more spread out time period.And going off of wut kristi said, who would want to punish him? what if he got away or something. obviously its not the best thing but i think it had to be done.-josh mack
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, I think it's a good thing that Bin Laden is dead. His followers or supporters have lost their leader, and were probably scared. It's also a warn for terrorists that America would not just admit what it suffered and let it go. But they would pay their price.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I'm also worried about their revenge. I hope they wouldn't take anymore foolish and dangerous moves.
I don't see why some people say it was bad to kill bin Laden, he killed so many lives and he had what was coming for him! Great Job! :D But, we shouldn't argue for this comment! We should be happy he's dead.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a HUGE accomplishment for the U.S. I think it is a great thing that bin Laden is dead. He got what was coming to him. He caused the death of thousands of people. I deffinatly agree with Ryan when he says it was a good thing they waited until they knew for sure where he was. They would have looked pretty foolish if they had attacked a place that he was not at. I also agree with Colleen when she says that she is worried about any ideas they might have about revenge. I really hope they don't try to do anything stupid.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is an amazing accomplishment of the U.S. SEALS, but I also agree with Colleen when she said she is worried about the revenge they may seek. I don't know if they will let Osama's death go unanswered or if they will try to retaliate. I really hope they don't retaliate but you never know. But, this is an amazing accomplishment for us! We finally killed the matermind behind 9/11 and it was a very important day in American History. Now I believe that many people who lost people during 9/11 will start to find peace knowing the mastermind that killed their family and friends is dead.
ReplyDeleteI think killing Bin Laden was something needed to be done for the safety of our citizens. I feel this man needed to be stopped and should have been punishable by death in the first place. I do not agree with how our country handled the death of Bin Laden. I think it was wrong and made our country look very uncivilized. They did the same to us, but I do not think it gave us a right to go down to their level. I think we are better than that. Overall, I am glad this man has finally been stopped after the pain he has put our country into.
ReplyDeleteI think the seals killing Osama was a very good thing. Killing him will hopefully bring an end to this war! its gone on long enough. The seals did the right thing by ending his life when they found him instead of torchering him even though he deserved it.
ReplyDeleteThis was a major political victory for us. We have been looking for this man for over a decade, for ploting and organizing an event in American history that rivals Pearl Harbor in its devestation. So I thank our troops for putting an end to his whreched life, and teaching everybody that its only a matter of time before we find you.
ReplyDeleteI am happy he's dead too, but, I also agree with Colleen, I am VERY worried about the retaliation.
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