Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9-11 attacks, has been killed according to United States and Pakistani officials. President Obama is scheduled to make a statement live shortly on all the major networks.
See also: Images of celebration in America following the announced death of Osama bin Laden
There are conflicting reports about how bin Laden was killed. Initial reports said that bin Laden was killed by a missile strike from a predator drone, but subsequent reports say bin Laden was killed in a ground operations. Payton Walsh of CNN just reported that bin Laden was killed as part of a highly secretive operation which was coordinated between United States and Pakistani intelligence officials. Multiple media outlets are now reporting that the United States has bin Laden's body.
A large crowd has already gathered outside the White House chanting "USA! USA!" and singing "God Bless America." A crowd was also reportedly gathering in Times Square in New York City.
The capture or death of bin Laden has been a major goal of the United States since the September 11th attacks. The survival of bin Laden represented a significant propaganda victory for al-Queda up to this point. Many analysts suspected that bin Laden had no longer served a signficant operational role for al-Queda, but had instead become something of a figurehead.
While the death of bin Laden will surely be celebrated throughout America, there are also some concerns that al-Queda could attempt to strike again in the coming weeks. Some analysts theorize that al-Queda would attack soon after bin Laden's death in order to retaliate and also to prove their continued significance.
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