U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. President Obama announced that bin Laden was killed in a firefight at a compound near the capital city of Islamabad. Bin Laden was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and thousands of deaths. His death is considered an important victory for the U.S. in the war on terror. Questions remain about how bin Laden was able to hide in Pakistan for so many years without being found.

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U.S. KILLS
BIN LADEN
Al Qaeda leader dies in a firefight near Pakistan
capital. ‘Justice has been done,’ Obama says.
CRIES OF Bob Drogin,
Ken Dilanian
and David Cloud
TRIUMPH
reporting from
washington
A U.S. special forces team
RESOUND killed Osama bin Laden at a
compound inside Pakistan
and recovered his body,
bringing a close to the
world’s highest-profile man-
hunt after a decade-long
Tina Susman search, President Obama European Pressphoto Agency
Geraldine Baum announced to the world ANNOUNCEMENT: “It
and Nathaniel Popper Sunday night. took many months to run
reporting from new york
“Justice has been done,” this thread to ground,”
the president said solemnly President Obama said.
“Justice served.” in a hastily arranged late-
“We got him!” night televised address from dent’s speech, the successful
“I don’t believe it.” the East Room of the White effort to track down Bin
“I’m glad he’s dead.” House. Laden centered on a trusted
There were joyful cries of Bin Laden, he said, was courier for Al Qaeda, a man
victory. There was skepti- “a terrorist who’s responsi- whom officials described as
cism from those who de- ble for the murder of thou- a protege of Khalid Shaikh
manded to see a corpse. sands of innocent men, Mohammed, the opera-
There were huge crowds women and children,” and tional mastermind of the
waving U.S. flags outside the his death was “the most sig- Sept. 1 attacks.
1
White House, and people nificant achievement to U.S. intelligence officials
erupting into chants of date” in the U.S. war against had identified the courier
“USA!” on the dark streets the Al Qaeda terrorist net- four years ago, based on in-
around the former World work. formation from detainees in
Trade Center in New York. As described by the U.S. custody who said he was
And there were the bitter president and top adminis- one of the few Al Qaeda cou-
words of a mother still tration officials who briefed riers trusted by Bin Laden, a
[See Celebrations, A8] reporters after the presi- [See Killed, A9]
Pakistan OSA M A B I N L A D E N, 19 5 7-2 011
faces new Born to privilege,
suspicion he died a pariah
Alex Rodriguez
reporting from
islamabad, pakistan Yet he became a figure of
John-Thor Dahlburg worldwide influence as a
and Alex Rodriguez supporter of Muslim free-
reporting from
The fact that Osama bin islamabad, pakistan dom fighters in Afghanistan
Laden was killed not in the in the 1980s and, later, as an
O
tribal badlands of north- organizer and financier of
western Pakistan but in a sama bin Laden, terrorist cells who concealed
small city just north of the a scion of one of his whereabouts, living in
capital is likely to raise new Saudi Arabia’s safe houses, remote camps
suspicions in Washington wealthiest fami- and even caves in Sudan, Af-
about how much the coun- lies, became the ghanistan and Pakistan.
try’s security establishment grim apostle of a strain of Is- The world’s most wanted
knew of his whereabouts — lamic radicalism that ex- man was killed during a fire-
and whether elements of it alted violence against non- fight with U.S. forces in Ab-
assisted him. believers, and the leader of a bottabad, about 30 miles
For many years, the hunt terrorist network that northeast of the Pakistani
for Bin Laden focused on the Associated Press launched repeated attacks capital, Islamabad. He had a
rugged tribal areas along the LONG-AWAITED: U.S. intelligence officials tracked Osama bin Laden to a com- in the West, most spectacu- $25-million bounty on his
Afghan border. Instead, he pound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, where he was killed by special forces. larly in the U.S. on Sept. 1 1, head set by the U.S.
was killed in the city of Ab- 201 1. Yossef Bodansky, a ter-
bottabad, in a neighborhood Bin Laden, 54, was born rorism expert who wrote a
near the Pakistan Military Obama speaks For U.S. troops, A political boost to privilege, one of more than biography of Bin Laden, la-
Academy, the training cen- 50 offspring of a Saudi con- beled him “the man who de-
ter that has produced many to the nation a sense of closure for the president struction magnate. He clared war on America.” For
of the country’s powerful He says the U.S. has They celebrate the news The victory bolsters the spent his youth in mansions former President George W.
military leaders. marked its most signifi- as well as remember caliber of his leadership filled with crystal chande- Bush and countless Ameri-
That Bin Laden was cant achievement those lost in the war on and is likely to improve liers, gold statues and Ital- cans, he was simply “the evil
[See Pakistan, A8] against Al Qaeda. A7 terrorism. A8 his popularity. A12 ian tapestries. [See Bin Laden, A10]
In Alabama’s churches, Medicine in
our midlife ‘Signals’ led to Libya strike
faith weathers a storm A special issue looks at
health tests, sex drive,
balance, hormones and
Missiles were fired
tercepted high-level com-
munications from the site,
intelligence operations had
detected Kadafi’s voice or
more. HEALTH, E1
NATO and U.S. military offi- had intercepted other com-
“Why is it that the deaths after the West cers said. munications by him or his
Next for Lakers
Esmeralda Bermudez
reporting from pratt city
are now beyond 200 and ap-
Dallas has height,
intercepted high-level Up to three missiles aides.
proaching 300? Why do good slammed into what appears The building “had been
and birmingham, ala.
people who live in their depth … and Dirk No- communications. to have been an upscale villa disguised as a residence but
Richard Fausset homes 50 years, never both- witzki. SPORTS, C1 in Tripoli late Saturday after was really a C2 [command-
and David Zucchino ering nobody, have to get David S. Cloud “clear indications from sig- and-control] bunker,” the
reporting from World ............................A3 reporting from
swept away? Why do folks nals” that the Libyan regime North Atlantic Treaty Or-
tuscaloosa, ala. Nation .........................A13 washington
who paid their car notes ev- was using it to communicate ganization officer, who
ery month now have no cars? California ................AA3 Patrick J. McDonnell with military units to carry spoke on condition of ano-
Alabama pastor Tommie Why?” Weather....................AA8 reporting from out attacks against rebel- nymity because he was dis-
Lewis took one good look at Across the South, this benghazi, libya held areas, said a senior cussing intelligence, said
his congregants and asked, day of worship couldn’t have Printed with soy inks on NATO officer. Sunday. “It just so happened
“Why?” come soon enough. Bap- partially recycled paper. A NATO missile strike “Signals intelligence” is a certain folks were there.”
Four days after torna- tists, Methodists, Presby- that Libyan officials say term for various forms of The Libyan government
does ravaged their town and terians and others dusted killed one of Moammar Ka- personal and electronic said Kadafi and his wife,
their state, they came ready themselves off, reached for dafi’s sons and three of his communications, including Safiya, were on a social visit
to listen, and he came ready their finest clothing — some grandchildren was launched cellphone conversations at the house in the Bab Azi-
to preach. [See Churches, A15]
7 85944 00075 9
after Western intelligence in- and email. It wasn’t clear if [See Libya, A4]