World's 'Most Wanted' man killed

Published May 2, 2011
This file photo taken in 1989 shows Osama bin Laden (C) walking with Afghanis in the Jalalabad area. In 1984, Bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan, responding to calls for a jihad, or holy Islamic war, against the Soviet occupying force. There, he financed and took command of a force of some 20,000 fighters recruited from around the world. In 1988, bin Laden founded his group al Qaeda (the base). The Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 1989. Al Qaeda went on to become a worldwide network of Islamic ex
This file photo taken in 1989 shows Osama bin Laden (C) walking with Afghanis in the Jalalabad area. In 1984, Bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan, responding to calls for a jihad, or holy Islamic war, against the Soviet occupying force. There, he financed and took command of a force of some 20,000 fighters recruited from around the world. In 1988, bin Laden founded his group al Qaeda (the base). The Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 1989. Al Qaeda went on to become a worldwide network of Islamic ex
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden speaks in this still image taken from video released on a website. In 1991, a US-led alliance launched a war to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait, which Iraq had occupied the previous year. Bin Laden declared jihad against the United States because it has based forces in his native Saudi Arabia, where Islam's two most holy places are located. ? Reuters (File Photo)
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden speaks in this still image taken from video released on a website. In 1991, a US-led alliance launched a war to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait, which Iraq had occupied the previous year. Bin Laden declared jihad against the United States because it has based forces in his native Saudi Arabia, where Islam's two most holy places are located. ? Reuters (File Photo)
This file photo taken on September 11, 2001 shows pedestrians running from the scene as one of the World Trade Center Towers collapses in New York after a plane taken over by terrorists crashed into the Twin Towers. Two hijacked US airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which subsequently collapsed. A third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon outside Washington and a fourth in rural Pennsylvania. ?  AFP (File Photo)
This file photo taken on September 11, 2001 shows pedestrians running from the scene as one of the World Trade Center Towers collapses in New York after a plane taken over by terrorists crashed into the Twin Towers. Two hijacked US airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which subsequently collapsed. A third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon outside Washington and a fourth in rural Pennsylvania. ? AFP (File Photo)
The Pentagon is seen on fire after a hijacked aircraft crashed into it in this September 11, 2001 file photo.  The attacks killed around 3,000 people. ? Reuters (File Photo)
The Pentagon is seen on fire after a hijacked aircraft crashed into it in this September 11, 2001 file photo. The attacks killed around 3,000 people. ? Reuters (File Photo)
US President George W. Bush listens as White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informs him of a second plane hitting the World Trade Center while Bush was conducting a reading seminar at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida in this September 11, 2001 file photo. ? Reuters (File Photo)
US President George W. Bush listens as White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informs him of a second plane hitting the World Trade Center while Bush was conducting a reading seminar at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida in this September 11, 2001 file photo. ? Reuters (File Photo)
A rescue helicopter surveys damage to the Pentagon as firefighters battle flames after an airplane crashed into the US military Headquarters outside of Washington in this September 11, 2001 file photo. 
Bin Laden was named principal suspect for coordinating the attacks in New York and Washington and Washington offered a 25-million-dollar reward for any information leading to the arrest of bin Laden.? Reuters  (File Photo)
A rescue helicopter surveys damage to the Pentagon as firefighters battle flames after an airplane crashed into the US military Headquarters outside of Washington in this September 11, 2001 file photo. Bin Laden was named principal suspect for coordinating the attacks in New York and Washington and Washington offered a 25-million-dollar reward for any information leading to the arrest of bin Laden.? Reuters (File Photo)
An activist carries a portrait of wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden while another shouts anti-US slogans during a demonstration in Karachi on October 7, 2001. 
On October 7, US-led strikes on Afghanistan begin, aimed at forcing the ruling Taliban to hand over bin Laden. Bin Laden vows no peace for the US and its citizens in a message broadcast via the Al-Jazeera television network. ? AFP (File Photo)
An activist carries a portrait of wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden while another shouts anti-US slogans during a demonstration in Karachi on October 7, 2001. On October 7, US-led strikes on Afghanistan begin, aimed at forcing the ruling Taliban to hand over bin Laden. Bin Laden vows no peace for the US and its citizens in a message broadcast via the Al-Jazeera television network. ? AFP (File Photo)
Members of the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron from Indian Springs, Nev., perform pre-flight checks on the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle prior to a mission, in this November 9, 2001 file photo shot at an undisclosed location. Pakistanis have long protested against the US drone campaign on the Afghan border, which stepped up under the Obama administration as it prepared to draw down troops in the 10-year war in Afghanistan. The air raids also go to the heart of the resentment that Pakistanis feel against the United
Members of the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron from Indian Springs, Nev., perform pre-flight checks on the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle prior to a mission, in this November 9, 2001 file photo shot at an undisclosed location. Pakistanis have long protested against the US drone campaign on the Afghan border, which stepped up under the Obama administration as it prepared to draw down troops in the 10-year war in Afghanistan. The air raids also go to the heart of the resentment that Pakistanis feel against the United
Osama bin Laden (L) sits with his adviser and purported successor Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian linked to the al Qaeda network, in an image supplied by the Dawn newspaper November 10, 2001. ? Reuters (File Photo)
Osama bin Laden (L) sits with his adviser and purported successor Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian linked to the al Qaeda network, in an image supplied by the Dawn newspaper November 10, 2001. ? Reuters (File Photo)
US Special Operation Capable (SOC) Marine SSGT Rodric Green from Corsicana, Texas, with the 26th Marines Expeditionary Unit (MEU), draws a target on a picture of Osama bin Laden before the start of an urban combat and room clearing exercise aboard the USS Whidbey Island, off the coast of Pakistan, December 12, 2001. ? Reuters (File Photo)
US Special Operation Capable (SOC) Marine SSGT Rodric Green from Corsicana, Texas, with the 26th Marines Expeditionary Unit (MEU), draws a target on a picture of Osama bin Laden before the start of an urban combat and room clearing exercise aboard the USS Whidbey Island, off the coast of Pakistan, December 12, 2001. ? Reuters (File Photo)
Supporters of Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, known for its close ties with the ousted Afghan Taliban, attends an election campaign rally of the Mutahidda Mujlis-e-Amal, while holding portraits of US most wanted chief of al Qaeda network Osama bin Laden in the southwestern city of Quetta on October 7, 2002. ? AFP (File Photo)
Supporters of Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, known for its close ties with the ousted Afghan Taliban, attends an election campaign rally of the Mutahidda Mujlis-e-Amal, while holding portraits of US most wanted chief of al Qaeda network Osama bin Laden in the southwestern city of Quetta on October 7, 2002. ? AFP (File Photo)
In 2001, former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf agreed to join forces with United States as an ally in the Global War on Terror, following the 9/11 attacks. ? AFP (File Photo)
In 2001, former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf agreed to join forces with United States as an ally in the Global War on Terror, following the 9/11 attacks. ? AFP (File Photo)
Pakistani army troops patrol on a deserted street in Mingora, the capital of Swat Valley, on May 27, 2009. At least 2,795 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in fighting since 2004. Another 8,671 have been wounded in the war against terrorism. ? AFP (File Photo)
Pakistani army troops patrol on a deserted street in Mingora, the capital of Swat Valley, on May 27, 2009. At least 2,795 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in fighting since 2004. Another 8,671 have been wounded in the war against terrorism. ? AFP (File Photo)
In this image taken on Nov. 17, 2009, Pakistani troops walk through the damaged market in Sararogha, a town of the troubled Pakistani tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border. ? AP (File Photo)
In this image taken on Nov. 17, 2009, Pakistani troops walk through the damaged market in Sararogha, a town of the troubled Pakistani tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border. ? AP (File Photo)
US President Barack Obama is pictured after announcing live on television the death of Osama bin Laden, from the East Room of the White House in Washington May 1, 2011. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan and his body was recovered, Obama announced on Sunday. ? Reuters (File Photo)
US President Barack Obama is pictured after announcing live on television the death of Osama bin Laden, from the East Room of the White House in Washington May 1, 2011. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan and his body was recovered, Obama announced on Sunday. ? Reuters (File Photo)
Revelers drive through the streets of Washington waving a US flag after US President Barack Obama announced live on television the death of Osama bin Laden, May 1, 2011. The news was hailed by governments around the world but many cautioned that the fight against extremism was not over. ? Reuters (File Photo)
Revelers drive through the streets of Washington waving a US flag after US President Barack Obama announced live on television the death of Osama bin Laden, May 1, 2011. The news was hailed by governments around the world but many cautioned that the fight against extremism was not over. ? Reuters (File Photo)
A reveler riding on a car cheers in Washington, late May 1, 2011, after US President Barack Obama announced live on television the death of Osama bin Laden. ? Reuters (File Photo)
A reveler riding on a car cheers in Washington, late May 1, 2011, after US President Barack Obama announced live on television the death of Osama bin Laden. ? Reuters (File Photo)

US President Barack Obama announced the death of al Qaeda’s elusive leader Osama bin Laden on Monday. Bin Laden was reportedly killed in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan in a house outside Islamabad on Sunday. Osama’s body was recovered, Obama said. Osama was the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States.

Those attacks led to the invasion of Afghanistan, a subsequent war and occupation of Iraq and drone attacks inside Pakistani territory. The Afghan conflict led to at least 9,759 civilian casualties during the 2007-2010 period of the Afghan war, according to a United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) estimate. The conflict in Afghanistan spilled over into the Pakistan leading to terrorist attacks and military operations taking a toll on Pakistani citizens and the Pakistani state. Moreover, at least 98,170 Iraqi civilians have been killed during the war in Iraq and the ensuing conflict in the Middle Eastern country.

On May 2, 2011, President Obama announced, “Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children.”

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...