[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6355-6356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            OSAMA BIN LADEN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today, Americans and all who long for 
justice woke to the good news: nearly 10 years after the United States 
set out to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, justice has been done. The 
man who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and who reveled in the horror of 
that day is dead. And those who follow his twisted vision are again on 
notice: America is in pursuit.
  This was a long time coming. For two decades, Osama bin Laden and the 
al-Qaida network he created, sustained, and led has been at war with 
the United States.
  The path of terror extended from the first World Trade Center bombing 
to the bombing of the Khobar Towers and the U.S. embassies in Kenya and 
Tanzania, to the bombing of the USS Cole, to the horrors of 9/11, and 
through two long and difficult wars that followed. 9/11 may have been 
the day that this pattern of violence became suddenly and undeniably 
clear. But bin Laden's destructive path was already long by then, and 
for the past 10 years, America has been determined to bring this 
monster to justice.
  From the beginning of this fight, the mission has been clear: to deny 
al-Qaida and any of its affiliates around the world a sanctuary from 
which they could plan, prepare, or launch another attack on U.S. soil. 
And the effort to prevent that long-feared attack has been an 
undeniable success under two administrations in the ongoing war on 
terror.
  Yet despite this success, and our early success in Afghanistan, al-
Qaida's senior leadership was able to find a safe-haven in Afghanistan. 
A few short years after 9/11 al-Qaida had regained enough strength to 
once again pose a serious threat to the United States. Meanwhile, the 
Taliban had reestablished its headquarters in Pakistan and had gained 
enough strength to return to Afghanistan and to risk the success of our 
mission there.
  And as the years went by, Osama bin Laden's ability to elude capture 
had become a greater source of frustration to us, and a source of 
propaganda to his followers.
  Over the years, Americans had become all too familiar with bin 
Laden's dark pronouncements, from his perverse declaration 3 years 
before 9/11 that it was the obligation of every Muslim ``to kill and 
fight Americans and their allies, whether civilian or military in any 
country'' . . . to his declaration after 9/11 that he had calculated 
the number of innocents he could kill that morning, and that he was the 
most optimistic planner of them all.
  Last night, those proud pronouncements ended at the barrel of a gun. 
The last thing Osama bin Laden saw on this earth was the small team of 
Americans who shot him.
  So Americans can be proud of the efforts of our military and 
intelligence communities, and the focused efforts of two 
administrations in fighting al-Qaida, and now, in capturing, its self-
appointed leader.
  This is indeed a signal achievement, a huge victory in the war 
against terrorism, and a day of great pride for our country. The 
President made the right call, and we thank him for it.
  We can never bring back those who died on 9/11 or those who have 
given their lives in this long and difficult war, but all Americans can 
say with renewed confidence today that we have kept our pledge, and 
that this is a war we will win.
  Some will recall that Osama bin Laden launched this war many years 
ago on the false assumption that America didn't have the stomach for 
the fight. While it may have taken longer than we hoped, last night he 
and his followers learned just how wrong he was. We take great 
satisfaction in knowing that Osama bin Laden will no longer be able to 
carry out his evil plans, that he has made his last video, and that 
whenever someone suggests the United States has grown weary, complacent 
in this war, we have shown how determined we are to fight it to the 
end.
  History is full of fallen despots and madmen who underestimated the 
resolve of the United States. Last night, we added one more to their 
ranks. But we don't rest, because we know al-Qaida's determination to 
attack the United States didn't end on September 11, 2001, and it 
didn't end last night. We continue to fight, knowing that al-Qaida 
remains committed to attacking our homeland and our allies. We were 
reminded of this last week when police in Germany arrested three men 
associated with al-Qaida who were planning an attack there.
  Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, we have matched 
the terrorist threat with the valor of our armed services and 
counterterrorism professionals. The men and women of the Central 
Intelligence Agency's Counterterrorism Center have unselfishly devoted 
themselves to preventing attacks against us and in hunting down bin 
Laden. Last night, their determined efforts met with success, and we 
are deeply grateful for their efforts.
  As for the broader war, the death of bin Laden may create the 
opportunity to renew our efforts with Pakistan to bring fresh pressure 
on al-Qaida's senior leadership. President Obama noted in his remarks 
of last night that it is essential for Pakistan to join us in this 
fight. Today is the day to redouble our efforts in pursuit of al-Qaida.
  In the coming weeks and months, these same counterterrorism 
professionals will focus on determining what bin Laden's death means 
for the threat posed by al-Qaida affiliates in Somalia, Yemen, North 
Africa, and for the remainder of al-Qaida's senior leadership. But 
today the world knows once again that wherever al-Qaida lurks--wherever 
they lurk--we will find them. It may not be days from now; it may not

[[Page 6356]]

be months. But those who plot harm to innocent Americans and our allies 
will be captured or killed. For them too justice will be done.
  Anyone who lived through the horror of 9/11 remembers exactly where 
they were on that terrible September day. Now they will remember where 
they were when they first heard the news that the man behind it had 
been killed by brave American forces inside Pakistan. We will remember 
where we were when, after years of effort, we finally got our man. 
America didn't seek this fight; it came to us. But ever since 9/11, we 
have been determined to fight al-Qaida to the end. We knew from the 
start it would require patience and great sacrifice, and that effort 
has paid off. Thanks to the skill and perseverance of many brave men 
and women, we have done what we said. America has not wavered, it has 
not lost sight of the mission, and we will prevail.

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