Osama bin Laden dead

Al-Qaeda founder and leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces, President Barack Obama has said.

9:25 am: Even as President Obama confirmed the news that US counter terrorism personnel had killed Osama bin Laden and family members in a firefight at a location outside Islamabad, Pakistan, hundreds of Americans, mostly young people, began gathering outside the White House, waving US flags and celebrating the killing of the man held responsible for the 9/11 terrorist strikes on the World Trade Center and other locations.

9:20 am: Would like to thank the intelligence personnel and officials involved in the operations for their relentless efforts, said Obama.

9:18 am: Mr Obama said after "a firefight" US forces took possession of his body.

9:16 am: The death of Mr. Bin Laden is a huge punctuation in the American-led war on terrorism. What remains to be seen is whether the death of the leader of Al Qaeda galvanizes his followers by turning him into a martyr, or whether it serves as a turning of the page in the war in Afghanistan and gives further impetus to the Obama administration to bring American troops home.
9:15 am: A crowd outside the White House in Washington, cheer Sunday, May 1, 2011, upon hearing the news that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is dead.

9:13 am: The fate of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda number two in command, was unclear.

9:10 am: US launched a targeted an operation at the mansion outside Islamabad. There has been no casualty of US or civilians in the operation. After a fire fight at the mansion, Osama Bin Laden was killed, said Obama.

9:05 am: US President Barack Obama has confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden

9:00 am: Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush made capturing Bin Laden a key national security priority. Obama has called the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan the “epicenter of violent extremism,” where he said al-Qaeda leader bin Laden was hiding.

8:50 am: It is believed that bin Laden was killed in a mansion not far from Islamabad, Pakistan, with members of his family.

8:45 am: Obama will deliver the news to the nation in an address from the White House, almost 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks that bin Laden orchestrated. Bin Laden was killed by U.S. assets in a mansion outside Islamabad, Pakistan, along with other members of his family, an official said.

8: 30 am: A US administration official said that Osama's body is in US custody.

8:30 am: Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead and US President Barack Obama is to make a statement shortly, CNN reported Monday.