Obama Announces Osama bin Laden Killed in U.S. Operation in Pakistan
WASHINGTON, May 2 - President Obama announced late Sunday night that American forces had killed Osama bin Laden, the founder of al Qaeda and the man behind the Sept.
By Jonah Reyes, Politics & Policy
· 2 min read
The essentials
- •The compound was in Abbottabad, a city about 35 miles north of Islamabad, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters afterward.
- •Crowds gathered outside the White House, in Times Square, and near the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan after word spread.
- •Officials said the remains were handled in accordance with Islamic tradition and buried at sea.
- •Obama also said the United States is not at war with Islam, describing bin Laden as a mass murderer of Muslims.
The short answer
WASHINGTON, May 2 - President Obama announced late Sunday night that American forces had killed Osama bin Laden, the founder of al Qaeda and the man behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in a raid on a compound in Pakistan. Speaking from the East Room of the White House shortly after 11:30 p.m.
WASHINGTON, May 2 - President Obama announced late Sunday night that American forces had killed Osama bin Laden, the founder of al Qaeda and the man behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in a raid on a compound in Pakistan.
Speaking from the East Room of the White House shortly after 11:30 p.m. Eastern, the president said a small team of Americans carried out the operation and that "no Americans were harmed." He said bin Laden was killed in a firefight and that U.S. officials have taken custody of his body.
The compound was in Abbottabad, a city about 35 miles north of Islamabad, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters afterward. Officials said the president authorized the mission on Friday, after months of intelligence work that began last August with a lead on a courier.
"Justice has been done," Obama said.
Crowds gathered outside the White House, in Times Square, and near the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan after word spread. Many were singing the national anthem and chanting "U-S-A." News of a major announcement had begun to circulate on television and online before the president spoke.
Officials said the remains were handled in accordance with Islamic tradition and buried at sea. They said the decision was made to avoid creating a gravesite that could become a shrine.
Pakistan's government has not yet issued a statement. Questions are likely to follow about how bin Laden was able to live for what officials believe was several years in a large compound in a military garrison town. Obama said he spoke with President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and that Pakistani cooperation helped lead to the compound.
Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on Sept. 11, called the killing "a momentous achievement" and "a victory for America" in a statement.
Obama also said the United States is not at war with Islam, describing bin Laden as a mass murderer of Muslims.
For many Americans, the news closes a chapter that has lasted nearly a decade. What happens next for al Qaeda, and for the long war in Afghanistan, is still unclear.
Sources
- 01Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden, Metro Weekly (White House transcript)metroweekly.com
- 02Death of Osama bin Laden, Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 03Bush, Others Hail Bin Laden's Death, NPRnpr.org
Corrections
No corrections have been made to this article.
About the reporter
Politics & Policy Reporter, Trestlewire
The most consequential thing I ever watched a legislature do happened in a committee room in Santa Fe at a quarter past eleven at night, in 2003, with four reporters present and three of them asleep. A single amendment changed who qualified for a state program, and almost nobody noticed for a year. I have been reading bills line by line ever since, because that is where the story usually is.
Read full bio and all stories →The Morning Wire
The day’s reporting, in your inbox before nine.
Free. Unsubscribe any time. We never share your address.