02-05-11 Pakistan cooperation helped lead U.S. to bin Laden compoundOsama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. assault on his Pakistani compound on Monday,then quickly buried at sea,in a dramatic end to the long manhunt for the al Qaeda leader who had become the most powerful symbol of global terrorism.World leaders hailed bin Ladens death but the euphoria was tempered by fears of retaliation and warnings of the need for renewed vigilance against attacks.The death of bin Laden,who achieved near mythic status for his ability to elude capture under three U.S. presidents,closes a bitter chapter in the fight against al Qaeda,but it does not eliminate the threat of further attacks.The September 11,2001,attacks,in which al Qaeda militants used hijacked planes to strike at economic and military symbols of American might,spawned two wars,in Afghanistan and Iraq,inflicted damage on U.S. ties with the Muslim world that have yet to be repaired,and redefined security for air travelers.President Barack Obama on Monday said,"This is a good day for America." "Our country has kept its commitment to see that justice is done.The world is safer," Obama said."It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden." A small U.S. strike team,dropped by helicopter to bin Ladens compound near the Pakistani capital Islamabad under the cover of night,shot dead the al Qaeda leader in a firefight, U.S. officials said."This was a kill operation," one security official told Reuters,but added:"If he had waved a white flag of surrender he would have been taken alive." |
