CASPER
New member
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says the world is better and safer because of the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Speaking at the White House, Obama said bin Laden's death show that the United States has kept its commitment to seeing that justice is done.
Obama also praised the people gathered spontaneously at the White House and in New York to celebrate bin Laden's death, saying that embodied the true spirit and patriotism of America.
A team of elite American forces killed bin Laden during a raid at the compound in Pakistan where the elusive terror mastermind had been hiding.
Obama spoke during a White House ceremony to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to two veterans of the Korean War.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
The Obama administration used DNA testing and other means to confirm that elite American forces in Pakistan had in fact killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, officials said Monday, as the world absorbed the stunning news.
The officials said the DNA testing alone offered a "99.9 percent" certainty that bin Laden was shot dead in a daring U.S. military operation. Detailed photo analysis by the CIA, confirmation by other people at the raid site and matching physical features like bin Laden's height all helped confirmed the identification.
One official said there should be no doubt in anybody's mind that the person killed was bin Laden.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Still, it was unclear if the world would ever get visual proof. Bin Laden's body was quickly buried at sea, and administration officials were weighing the merit and appropriateness of releasing a photo of bin Laden, who was shot in the head.
The face of global terrorism was killed in a firefight with American forces. As spontaneous celebrations and expressions of relief gave way to questions about precisely what happened and what comes next, U.S. officials warned that the campaign against terrorism is not nearly over — and that the threat of retaliation was real.
Speaking at the White House, Obama said bin Laden's death show that the United States has kept its commitment to seeing that justice is done.
Obama also praised the people gathered spontaneously at the White House and in New York to celebrate bin Laden's death, saying that embodied the true spirit and patriotism of America.
A team of elite American forces killed bin Laden during a raid at the compound in Pakistan where the elusive terror mastermind had been hiding.
Obama spoke during a White House ceremony to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to two veterans of the Korean War.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
The Obama administration used DNA testing and other means to confirm that elite American forces in Pakistan had in fact killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, officials said Monday, as the world absorbed the stunning news.
The officials said the DNA testing alone offered a "99.9 percent" certainty that bin Laden was shot dead in a daring U.S. military operation. Detailed photo analysis by the CIA, confirmation by other people at the raid site and matching physical features like bin Laden's height all helped confirmed the identification.
One official said there should be no doubt in anybody's mind that the person killed was bin Laden.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Still, it was unclear if the world would ever get visual proof. Bin Laden's body was quickly buried at sea, and administration officials were weighing the merit and appropriateness of releasing a photo of bin Laden, who was shot in the head.
The face of global terrorism was killed in a firefight with American forces. As spontaneous celebrations and expressions of relief gave way to questions about precisely what happened and what comes next, U.S. officials warned that the campaign against terrorism is not nearly over — and that the threat of retaliation was real.