The leader of al-Qaeda is dead

By R.M. | WASHINGTON, DC

"JUSTICE has been done." Thus Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden, putting an end to a decade-long manhunt that had bedevilled America's intelligence agencies, and closing a wound left open for years after the attacks of September 11th. Though the terrorist leader's operational capabilities were substantially diminished as a result of America's war on terror, in a late-night address to the nation Mr Obama called Mr bin Laden's death "the most significant achievement to date" in that effort.

As the president explained, a group of American operatives killed Mr bin Laden and took possession of his body after a firefight at a heavily-secured compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottadad, about an hour north of Islamabad. The operation took less than 40 minutes and no Americans were harmed (though one of the team's two helicopters broke down and was destroyed). According to officials, others killed in the raid include a man who is believed to be Mr bin Laden's son and a woman who was used as a human shield.

Pakistani officials, who long denied Mr bin Laden's presence on their territory, were not informed of the mission ahead of time, a detail that is likely to exacerbate tensions with the country. While it is not surprising that Mr bin Laden was found in Pakistan, most believed he was hiding out somewhere in the remote tribal areas. That he was found in a relatively large city that is home to a Pakistani military base raises troubling questions about what the country's soldiers and spooks actually knew about his location.

In his speech, Mr Obama said he had asked Leon Panetta, the CIA director, to make finding and killing Mr Bin Laden a priority. Last August the Americans finally got a sniff of the al-Qaeda leader's whereabouts by tailing one his couriers. But it took months to firm up the intelligence and figure out who, exactly, was holed up in the $1m hill-top mansion with no phone or internet lines. Officials say the president became increasingly involved in discussions about Mr bin Laden over the past two months, chairing a series of national-security meetings. On Friday he gave the final order putting the operation in motion.

Though clearly satisfied with the day's events, Mr Obama made sure to caution that Mr bin Laden's death "does not mark the end of our effort." But by the time his speech was over, a spontaneous celebration was already taking shape outside the White House. Within the hour, hundreds of revelers were waving flags and singing patriotic anthems, exuding a mix of joy, pride and relief. In New York, a similar scene unfolded in Time Square.

In the coming days pundits and politicians will consider the implications of Mr bin Laden's death and how it will (or will not) affect American foreign policy, relations with Pakistan and the increasingly violent Arab spring. There will be a time to think about the nuance and complexity of this event, but for most Americans now is not it. In these early morning hours the country is basking in a moment of unadulterated celebration.

(Photo credit: AFP)