President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden,Barack Obama speech

President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden

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The President:Good evening. Tonight, I can report to theAmerican people and to the world that the United States hasconducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden,the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who'sresponsible for the murder of thousands of innocentmen, women, and children. It was nearly 10 years ago thata bright September day was darkened by the worst attack onthe American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are searedinto our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting througha cloudless September sky; the Twin Towerscollapsing to the ground; black smoke billowingup from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 inShanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroiccitizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction. And yet we know that the worstimages are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat atthe dinner table. Children who were forced to grow upwithout their mother or their father. Parents who would never know thefeeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizenstaken from us, leaving a gapinghole in our hearts. On September 11, 2001,in our time of grief, the American peoplecame together. We offered our neighbors a hand,and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed ourties to each other, and our love ofcommunity and country. On that day, no matterwhere we came from, what God we prayed to, or whatrace or ethnicity we were, we were united asone American family. We were also united in ourresolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committedthis vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organizationheaded by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared waron the United States and was committed to killing innocents inour country and around the globe. And so we went to war against alQaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies. Over the last 10 years, thanksto the tireless and heroic work of our military and ourcounterterrorism professionals, we've made greatstrides in that effort. We've disrupted terroristattacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removedthe Taliban government, which had given bin Laden andal Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we workedwith our friends and allies to capture or kill scoresof al Qaeda terrorists, including several who werea part of the 9/11 plot. Yet Osama bin Laden avoidedcapture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued tooperate from along that border and operate through itsaffiliates across the world. And so shortly after takingoffice, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to makethe killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority ofour war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broaderefforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, after yearsof painstaking work by our intelligence community, I wasbriefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, andit took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with mynational security team as we developed more information aboutthe possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding withina compound deep inside Pakistan. And finally, last week, Idetermined that we had enough intelligence to take action, andauthorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden andbring him to justice. Today, at my direction, theUnited States launched a targeted operation against thatcompound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americanscarried out the operation with extraordinary courageand capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoidcivilian casualties. After a firefight, they killedOsama bin Laden and took custody of his body. For over two decades, bin Ladenhas been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued toplot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks themost significant achievement to date in our nation'seffort to defeat al Qaeda. Yet his death does notmark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaedawill continue to pursue attacks against us. We must -- and we will -- remainvigilant at home and abroad. As we do, we must also reaffirmthat the United States is not -- and never will be --at war with Islam. I've made clear, just asPresident Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our waris not against Islam. Bin Laden was nota Muslim leader; he was a massmurderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughteredscores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomedby all who believe in peace and human dignity. Over the years, I've repeatedlymade clear that we would take action within Pakistan if weknew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done. But it's important to note thatour counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us tobin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declaredwar against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks againstthe Pakistani people. Tonight, I calledPresident Zardari, and my team has also spoken withtheir Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good andhistoric day for both of our nations. And going forward, it isessential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight againstal Qaeda and its affiliates. The American people didnot choose this fight. It came to our shores, andstarted with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 yearsof service, struggle, and sacrifice, we knowwell the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me everytime I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to afamily that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes ofa service member who's been gravely wounded. So Americans understandthe costs of war. Yet as a country, we will nevertolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly bywhen our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defenseof our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the valuesthat make us who we are. And on nights like this one, wecan say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda'sterror: Justice has been done. Tonight, we give thanks to thecountless intelligence and counterterrorism professionalswho've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American peopledo not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel thesatisfaction of their work and the result of theirpursuit of justice. We give thanks for the men whocarried out this operation, for they exemplify theprofessionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage ofthose who serve our country. And they are part of ageneration that has borne the heaviest share of the burdensince that September day. Finally, let me say to thefamilies who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have neverforgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment tosee that we do whatever it takes to prevent anotherattack on our shores. And tonight, let us think backto the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has,at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is atestament to the greatness of our country and the determinationof the American people. The cause of securing ourcountry is not complete. But tonight, we are once againreminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the storyof our history, whether it's the pursuit ofprosperity for our people, or the struggle for equalityfor all our citizens; our commitment to standup for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to makethe world a safer place. Let us remember that we can dothese things not just because of wealth or power, but becauseof who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, withliberty and justice for all. Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless theUnited States of America.