Washington — Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is dead “and justice has been done,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. But bin Laden’s death is not the end of the international war on terrorism, and the United States will continue to fight violent extremism around the world, she says.
“As we mark this milestone, we should not forget that the battle to stop al-Qaida and its syndicate of terror will not end with the death of bin Laden. Indeed, we must take this opportunity to renew our resolve and redouble our efforts,” Clinton said from the State Department May 2.
Her remarks came less than 12 hours after President Obama announced May 1 that U.S. military forces had launched a “targeted operation” against a compound in which bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Obama said a small team of Americans carried out the operation with “extraordinary courage and capability,” and that after a firefight, the forces killed bin Laden and took custody of his body.
Clinton praised the “broad, deep, very impressive effort” by Americans who “have worked tirelessly and relentlessly for more than a decade to track down and bring Osama bin Laden” to justice.
The United States went to war with al-Qaida after the group launched attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Al-Qaida was also responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. The terrorist organization has also claimed responsibility for killing innocent civilians around the globe in attacks on markets, mosques, subway stations and aircraft.
“These were not just attacks on Americans, although we suffered grievous losses. These were attacks against the whole world,” Clinton said. The group is “motivated by a violent ideology that holds no value for human life or regard for human dignity.”
Clinton said bin Laden’s death marks an opportunity for people all over the world to look to a more peaceful and secure future “with growing hope and renewed faith in what is possible.”
She offered her condolences to the thousands of families whose loved ones have been killed in bin Laden’s “campaign of terror and violence,” and she expressed hope they could find comfort in knowing justice has been served.
The secretary said the United States will continue to fight al-Qaida and its Taliban allies in Afghanistan while working with the Afghan people as they build a stronger government and begin to take responsibility for their own security. As U.S. forces work to implement the NATO-approved strategy for transition, the United States supports “an Afghan-led political process that seeks to isolate al-Qaida and end the insurgency.”
In a message to the Taliban, Clinton said the group “cannot wait us out” and “cannot defeat us,” and she called on its members to abandon al-Qaida and participate in a peaceful political process.
She said the United States is committed to supporting the people and government of Pakistan as they defend their own democracy from violent extremism.
“All over the world we will press forward, bolstering our partnerships, strengthening our networks, investing in a positive vision of peace and progress, and relentlessly pursuing the murderers who target innocent people,” Clinton said. “The fight continues, and we will never waver.”