Osama bin Laden is killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan

Acting on an intelligence lead that first surfaced last August, Obama said he authorized an operation to kill bin Laden, 53, who was hiding in a compound deep inside Pakistan. The president, in a rare Sunday night address to the nation, said U.S. forces killed bin Laden during a firefight and captured his body.

Bin Laden’s killing comes nearly a decade after al-Qaeda orchestrated attacks on New York and the Pentagon that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Obama said Sunday’s development would “bring justice” to bin Laden.

“His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity,” he said.

The president said that no Americans were harmed in the attack and that U.S. forces “took care to avoid civilian casualties.”

“Today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people,” Obama said. “The cause of securing our country is not complete, but tonight we are once again reminded that America can do whatever it is we set our mind to. That is the story of our history.”

Obama said the operation took place in Abbottabad, a city of about 100,000 in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 100 miles north of Islamabad. Named for a British military officer who founded it as a military cantonment and summer retreat, it is the headquarters of a brigade of the Pakistan Army’s 2nd Division.

Bin Laden had long eluded U.S. forces throughout George W. Bush’s presidency, and the former president said Sunday that he congratulated Obama and the military and intelligence personnel who “devoted their lives to this mission.”

“They have our everlasting gratitude,” Bush said in a statement. “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. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.” Continued…