PRES. JOE BIDEN: "We followed Bin Laden to the gates of hell and we got him."
How Pres. Biden reacted then may be a clue as to how he would handle terrorism as the POTUS.
The Slice): Today marks a decade since one of the world's top terrorists, Osama bin Laden was killed in a raid executed by U.S. Navy Seals in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Pres. Joe Biden, then the VP to Pres. Barack Obama witnessed the al-Qaueda leader's death in the White House Situation Room. A photo showing the stunned and stoic look on American leaders' faces become a symbol the Obama Administration's legacy of fightng crimes against humanity. The effort to take out bin Laden had become more mission critical after the 911 plane attacks on the United States nearly 10 years before bin Laden, the man who was responsible for it was captured and killed.
Pres. BIDEN recently called for the withdrawal of troops who had been occupying Afghanistan since after the 911 attacks. In a statement thanking the military and remembering those we lost the oresident said, "We will continue to monitor and disrupt any threat to us that emerges from Afghanistan."
READ T FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
Statement by President Joe Biden on the 10th Anniversary of the Osama bin Laden Raid
"Ten years ago, I joined President Obama and members of our national security team, crowded into the Situation Room to watch as our military delivered long-awaited justice to Osama bin Laden. 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. 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. 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.
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. But 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.
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 honor 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."
