U.S. forces have killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, U.S. President Barack Obama told the world Sunday night.
The U.S conducted a ground operation Sunday at a compound in Abbottabad, a city in the northern part of the country, that led to the death of bin Laden, Obama said in a dramatic late-night statement at the White House.
A small group of American commandos "killed bin Laden and took custody of his body," he said.
"His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace."
The U.S. president said he was briefed on a possible lead on the location of bin Laden last August, who had eluded capture for a decade.
"Finally, last week I determined we had enough intelligence to take action and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice," Obama said. "Today at my direction the United States launched a targeted operation on that compound."
Obama said no Americans were hurt in the operation and great care was taken not to kill any civilians. He praised the American team for their "extraordinary courage and capability."
"Justice has been done," the president said. "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."
The compound that bin Laden was holed up in was about eight times larger than the buildings surrounding it, and had a barbed-wire fence of about five metres. It was also located not far from a large Pakistani military base, which was a training academy.
U.S. reports said bin Laden was shot in the head in a firefight after he resisted.
Three men and a woman were also killed in the operation, along with the terrorist leader. A helicopter crashed during part of the operation. No Americans were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed by the U.S.
U.S. intelligence officials keyed in on the compound because its residents burned their trash, presumably for secrecy, and the couriers leaving the site had no noticeable means of income.
U.S. celebrates
Visitors outside the White House could be heard chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A!" and singing the U.S. national anthem prior to Obama's address. The group swelled from dozens prior to the speech into the thousands early Monday morning, cheering enthusiastically.
In New York, many gathered at Ground Zero.
The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington took the lives of nearly 3,000 people, including 24 Canadians.
"The death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, reported today by President Obama, secures a measure of justice for these Canadians and their families," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a late-night statement. "Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction. We will continue to stand firm with our allies against the threat of global terrorism."
The attack was a defining moment in U.S. history, leading to the war in Afghanistan. It has shaped global politics for the past decade.
Former president George W. Bush famously pledged to take bin Laden "dead or alive" and his two terms were largely defined by the war on terror.
In a statement, Bush congratulated the Obama administration. The former president said his successor called him to inform him of the development.
"I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude," Bush said in a statement.
Born in 1954 in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden was part of a wealthy family that made its fortune in the construction industry. But he became involved in the militant Islam movement as a teenager in the 1970s. In 1980, he joined the Afghans' war against the invading Soviets.
Bin Laden, well-over six feet, bearded and thin, garnered a reputation as a courageous commander. His family fortune helped raise his profile.
His hatred of the United States is believed to have started during the early 1990s, in the events surround the first Gulf War.
His burgeoning terror group found refuge under the Taliban in Afghanistan in the 1990s, and he famously declared war on the U.S. in a 1997 interview in a cave with CNN.
His organization has been blamed for the 1998 bombing at U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 321 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American soldiers in Yemen.
But it was the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that forever cemented bin Laden's name into the annals of history.
The attacks, which the al Qaeda leader had admitted were even more devastating than he imagined, set off possibly the largest manhunt for one individual in history.
But while his lieutenants around the world were captured or killed, bin Laden eluded their fate for almost a decade, periodically appearing in video statements.
"It is time we get even. You will be killed just as you kill, and will be bombed just as you bomb," he said in 2002, threatening Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and Australia for supporting the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.
Bin Laden, who had four wives, is believed to have had up to 23 children.
