Moment I will never forget: Biden on Bin Laden raid

Ten years ago, when the raid took place, Biden was part of the then US President Barack Obama national security team and witnessed the raid in Situation Room.

Washington:US President Joe Biden on Saturday (local time) remembered the raid by security forces in Pakistan in which dreaded terrorist Osama Bin Laden was killed, and said that the US will never waver from its commitment to keep American people safe.

"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," said Biden.

Osama Bin Laden, the founder of the militant terrorist organisation al-Qaeda, was killed by US security forces in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011. He was shot in the head, during the firefight in the compound in Pakistan, where he was taking shelter.

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"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," added Biden.

Ten years ago, when the raid took place, Biden was part of the then US President Barack Obama national security team and witnessed the raid in Situation Room.

"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," stated Biden.

Terming war on terror as America's longest war, Biden said: "Now, as a result of those efforts, as we bring to an end America's longest war and draw down the last of our troops from Afghanistan, al Qaeda is greatly degraded there."

Regarding the upcoming challenges related to terrorism, President Biden said that 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."

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The US President also thanked the service members, who were part of the Bin Laden raid and 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 honour 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," he added.

ANI