U.S. forces capture, kill Osama bin Laden 10 years after 9-11 terrorist attacks

<p>WASHINGTON – Overjoyed Americans celebrated historic news late Sunday: the death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in a firefight with American forces acting on the orders of U.S. President Barack Obama.</p> <p>Almost 10 years after the terrorist attacks killed almost 3,000 Americans and left a gaping wound on the national psyche, Obama addressed a global audience to tell the world that the man who founded al Qaida had finally been captured and killed.</p> <p>”Tonight I can report to the American people and to the world that the U.S. has conducted an operation that has killed Osama bin Laden,” a stern Obama said in a late-night announcement in the East Room of the White House.</p> <p>Outside, thousands of cheering, flag-waving, fist-pumping Americans amassed beyond the White House gates to celebrate the news, some of them taking in the joyous revelry from trees they’d climbed.</p> <p>Chanting “U.S.A.,” they also celebrated at so-called Ground Zero, the Manhattan site of the World Trade Center towers. Those iconic buildings were brought down when al Qaida operatives hijacked fuel-engorged jetliners and flew them into the World Trade Center on a sunny September morning in 2001.</p> <p>For years, Americans had lost hope that bin Laden would ever be captured after he spent a decade successfully eluding U.S. forces.</p> <p>The news brought some comfort to the families of those killed on 9-11.</p> <p>”This is important news for us, and for the world. It cannot ease our pain, or bring back our loved ones,” Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93, said in a statement.</p> <p>”It does bring a measure of comfort that the mastermind of the Sept. 11th tragedy and the face of global terror can no longer spread his evil.”</p> <p>Obama said he told CIA head Leon Panetta months ago to make “the killing or capture of bin Laden” the focus of U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan.</p> <p>Senior administration officials say bin Laden was killed with a shot to the head earlier Sunday in a Pakistani firefight following intelligence first received by American officials months ago. U.S. forces are now in possession of his body.</p> <p>Bin Laden, the most wanted man on the planet, had been hiding out in a mansion in a mountainous region of Pakistan near the capital of Islamabad. Three adult males were also killed in Sunday’s raid of the building, including one of bin Laden’s sons, who was not named by officials.</p> <p>On Friday, the president gave the order to move in and kill bin Laden; two days later, U.S. forces succeeded. Their triumph followed Obama’s personal involvement in several top-secret national security meetings over the past few weeks focused squarely on taking out bin Laden.</p> <p>”His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity,” Obama said in the hastily called address. “Justice has been done.”</p> <p>The news is undoubtedly the biggest achievement of Obama’s presidency and a moment likely to be remembered by Americans for generations to come as spontaneous celebrations continued to break out across the country well past midnight. </p> <p>The Obama administration managed to accomplish what George W. Bush’s could not in seven years. Bush congratulated the Obama administration in a statement.</p> <p>”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,” said Bush, contacted earlier in the day by Obama with the news.</p> <p>Bush added that the U.S. “has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done. “</p> <p>The 9-11 attacks set off a cascading sequence of events that have resulted in Canadian troops spending almost a decade in Afghanistan and pushed the U.S. into costly and deadly wars in Afghanistan, then Iraq.</p> <p>The attacks also changed the American way of life, leading to suspicion of Muslims in many parts of the country and to heightened levels of security, particularly in U.S. airports. In the 10 years since the attacks, Americans have been growing increasingly disillusioned with the war effort, suggesting they want U.S. troops to come home.</p> <p>At a small Canadian patrol base outside Salavat in Afghanistan’s Panjwaii district, word of bin Laden’s death was met initially with disbelief, then jubilation.</p> <p>”I just found a few moments ago: Good news (and) another indication that we’re winning the war,” said a smiling Warrant Officer Gabriel Bernard, as he gave a double thumb’s up.</p> <p>”Hopefully, it’s a step forward toward world peace and a resolution for the conflict here in Afghanistan.”</p> <p>Nonetheless, U.S. embassies and other diplomatic facilities around the world were placed on high alert following the announcement. The U.S. State Department was also slated to send out a new “worldwide caution” for Americans amid fears that al Qaida supporters may try to retaliate against U.S. citizens or facilities.</p> <p>Obama warned Americans not to be complacent in the aftermath of bin Laden’s death.</p> <p>”There is no doubt that al Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad,” he said.</p>