Bin Laden killed in U.S. special forces raid
President Barack Obama addressed the nation from the White House's East Room on Sunday night. telling the nation of Osama Bin Laden's slaying.

Bin Laden killed in U.S. special forces raid

Osama Bin Laden, the infamous leader of Al Qaeda and mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist plot, was killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan, President Obama announced Sunday night.

Bin Laden, who became notorious as the face of terrorism after coordinating the most devastating attack on American soil, was located and cornered in a massive mansion-like compound in Abbottabad, a suburb north of Islamabad. A top-secret mission, which reportedly began with intelligence reports last summer, culminated with the slayings of Bin Laden, two of his couriers, his son and an unidentified woman who was used as a human shield, White House officials have been quoted as saying. No Americans or civilians died in the attack, but a U.S. helicopter was lost and destroyed due to mechanical failure, Obama said. In accordance with Islamic practice, Bin Laden's body was buried at sea outside of Afghanistan within 24 hours of his death.

Rumors began circulating late Sunday night that a high-profile military target might have been captured or slain. In a dramatic television appearance dubbed only as a briefing on national security, Obama gave the nation news of Bin Laden's death. Speaking from the White House's East Room, Obama informed the nation that nearly a decade after the 9/11 attacks, "justice has been done."

"For over two decades, Bin Laden has been Al Qaeda's leader and symbol," the president said in a statement televised around the world. "The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat Al Qaeda. But his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that Al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad."

Given Bin Laden's status as the supreme anti-Western figure, measures have been taken against a possible retaliation. U.S. Military bases at home and abroad have been placed on high alert. The State Deparment also warned Americans living abroad and traveling in volatile areas to “to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations.”

It has long been speculated that Bin Laden was hiding in the tribal area of northern Pakistan, the "the lawless region" of the country that the government has trouble policing. Ultimately, Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad, a medium-sized city that features a military base and a training academy for the Pakistani army. He was residing in a highly fortified residence that was gigantic compared to the houses and structures around it. The building had no telephone or Internet connections.

Public expressions of enthusiasm and nationalism swept through the nation late Sunday night and spilled into the early-morning hours, as news of Bin Laden's death was made public. Groups gathered in New York City's Time Square and at the site of Ground Zero with patriotic signs and U.S. flags to accompany cheers of "U.S.A., U.S.A.!" and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. Similar gatherings, populated heavily by young adults who were in their adolesences during the 9/11 attacks, formed outside of the White House and in college towns throughout the country.

The aftermath - or fallout - from Bin Laden's slaying has yet to be seen and has already become the subject of debate for terrorism experts and pundits around the world. Will his death revive a terrorist cause that has been largely dormant since the U.S. intervened in Afghanistan and Iraq? Or will his ousting dismantle Al Qaeda and its allied groups?

The answer is probably up for speculation, as Bin Laden's role in the modern version of Al Qaeda has been largely unknown. During the near 10-year manhunt for him, military officials and experts on the Middle East have argued that Bin Laden was largely a symbolic figure forced into reclusion from the terrorist network that he may or may not have leadership role within. Still, he has remained the face of terrorism and the main figurehead of the anti-American cause.

His death likely leaves Ayman al-Zawahiri in charge. The wherabouts and fate of al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's second-in-command, are reportedly still unknown.