Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the most devastating attack on American soil in modern times and the most hunted man in the world, was killed in a firefight with United States forces in Pakistan on Sunday, President Obama announced.
In a dramatic late-night appearance in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Obama declared that “justice has been done” as he disclosed that American military and C.I.A. operatives had finally cornered Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda who had eluded them for nearly a decade, and shot him to death at a compound in Pakistan.
“For over two decades, Bin Laden has been Al Qaeda’s leader and symbol,” the president said in a statement carried on television around the world. “The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat Al Qaeda. But his death does not mark the end of our effort.” He added, “We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad.”
The death of Bin Laden is a defining moment in the American-led war on terrorism. What remains to be seen is whether it galvanizes his followers by turning him into a martyr, or whether the death serves as a turning of the page in the war in Afghanistan and gives further impetus to the Obama administration to bring American troops home.
Bin Laden was killed nearly 10 years after Qaeda terrorists hijacked three American passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington. A fourth hijacked jet crashed into countryside of Pennsylvania.
Late Sunday night, as the president was speaking, cheering crowds gathered outside the gates of the White House as word of Bin Laden’s death began trickling out, waving American flags, shouting in happiness and chanting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” In New York City, crowds sang "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Read more here http://www.thegamingpod.com/forum/showthread.php/290-Obama-Says-Bin-Laden-Is-Dead?p=749#post749
0 comments:
Post a Comment