Cheering crowds are gathering outside the White House tonight in the wake of some historic news – Osama bin Baden has been killed by U.S. special forces:
Osama bin Laden, the longtime al-Qaeda leader and chief architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, was killed Sunday by U.S. forces, President Obama announced late Sunday night.
Acting on an intelligence lead that first surfaced last August, Obama said he authorized an operation to kill bin Laden, 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. […]
“His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity,” [President Obama] said. […]
“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.”
It’s rare you can go to bed knowing that the world is a little more safe and that justice is a little more done. Thank you, U.S. Special Forces and President Obama.
UPDATE: CNN analyst & bin Laden expert Peter Bergen: “Killing bin Laden is the end of the War on Terror. We can just sort of announce that right now.”
UPDATE #2: Read President Obama’s full statement at WhiteHouse.gov. Here’s the video:
UPDATE #3: Andrew Sullivan notes, “The eighth anniversary of ‘Mission Accomplished.’ To the day. The 66th anniversary of the anouncement of the death of Adolph Hitler. To the day.”
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