OSAMA BIN LADEN KILLED BY U.S.
Nearly a decade after the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden is dead as a result of a United States military action.
President Obama said he determined last week there was enough information to take action on an intelligence lead. The U.S. took action on that intelligence Sunday, on the president’s direction.
The mission was carried out by a “small team of Americans,” President Obama said.
No Americans were harmed.
U.S. special operation forces carried out the mission.
The leader of al Qaeda, bin Laden was killed at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, after a firefight, President Obama said Sunday night. The U.S. took custody of bin Laden’s body after the firefight.
A small crowd gathered outside the White House chanting and cheering and singing the national anthem Sunday night shortly after the news broke.
President Obama made the announcement from the White House East Room Sunday night.
Local officials celebrated the news.
“Osama bin Laden is gone,” said Republican Congresswoman Nan Hayworth. “We are blessed to have men and women in our military, intelligence, and diplomatic services whose courage, diligence, and perseverance have finally prevailed over evil. As we celebrate this victory – not only for America but for the entire world – we remember the thousands who have lost their lives to bin Laden’s wrongdoing, and who have sacrificed their lives in the fight against Al Qaeda over the course of a long and painful decade.”
Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey said, “The innocent men, women, and children who died on September 11th will forever be in our thoughts and prayers, and no victory on the battlefield can erase the sorrow for their loss.”
“However, we can take comfort knowing the mastermind of these evil acts has been brought to justice,” she added. “I commend our Commander in Chief and his national security team for their leadership as well as the members of the Armed Forces and the intelligence communities for their dedication to completing this mission.”
“As President Obama stated last night, this is an important step in defeating global terrorist entities, but it is not the final step,” Lowey also stated in prepared remarks. “Risks to innocent men, women, and children still exist at home and abroad, and we must stay on the offense against those who seek to do us harm.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.