Biden marks 10th anniversary of Osama bin Laden raid

Marking the 10th anniversary of the raid on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, US President Joe Biden said on Sunday night that the event was a moment he will never forget.

He also acknowledged the intelligence community who tracked him down and the skill of US forces who conducted the raid.

In a statement issued by the White House, Biden said: “Ten years ago, I joined (former) President Obama and members of our national security team, crowded into the Situation Room to watch as our military delivered long-awaited justice to Osama bin Laden.

“It is a moment I will never forget – the intelligence professionals who had painstakingly tracked him down; the clarity and conviction of President Obama in making the call; the courage and skill of our team on the ground. It had been almost ten years since our nation was attacked on 9/11 and we went to war in Afghanistan, pursuing al-Qaeda and its leaders.

“We followed bin Laden to the gates of hell – and we got him. We kept the promise to all those who lost loved ones on 9/11: that we would never forget those we had lost, and that the United States will never waver in our commitment to prevent another attack on our homeland and to keep the American people safe,” Biden said.

He went on to state that now, as a result of those efforts, an end to America’s longest war and the full withdrawal of troops is in sight.

He also said al-Qaeda has largely been wiped out in Afghanistan.

“But the United States will remain vigilant about the threat from terrorist groups that have metastasized around the world. We will continue to monitor and disrupt any threat to us that emerges from Afghanistan. And we will work to counter terrorist threats to our homeland and our interests in cooperation with allies and partners around the world.”

He also said: “I want to give my enduring thanks to the service members who executed the raid at great personal risk and the public servants across our government who made our mission a success ten years ago. We will continue to honor all the brave women and men, our military, our intelligence and counterterrorism professionals, and so many others, who continue their extraordinary work to keep the American people safe today. They give their best to our country, and we owe them an incredible debt of gratitude.”

Bin Laden, the founder and first leader of al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 am, by United States Navy SEALs.

The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out in a CIA-led operation with Joint Special Operations Command.

The operation ended a nearly 10-year search for bin Laden, following his role in the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, was launched from Afghanistan and US military officials said that after the raid US forces took the body of bin Laden to Afghanistan for identification, then buried it at sea within 24 hours of his death in accordance with Islamic tradition.

Al-Qaeda confirmed the death on May 6 with posts made on militant websites, vowing to avenge the killing.