Laden killed

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan, President Barack Obama has said, report agencies. Bin Laden was killed early Monday in a ground operation outside Islamabad based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August. Mr Obama said after "a firefight", US forces took possession of the body. "Justice has been done," Obama said in a dramatic, late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive mastermind of the Sep 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people. He was top of the US' "most wanted" list. Mr Obama said it was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda". Osama was buried at sea, US officials said. "We wanted to avoid a situation where it would become a shrine," a US official said. And there was no time for negotiations with other countries to arrange for a possible burial, the official further said. Earlier, an administration official said of the corpse: "We are ensuring that it is handled in accordance wit Islamic practice and tradition. The US has put its embassies around the world on alert, warning Americans of the possibility of al-Qaeda reprisal attacks for Bin Laden's killing. Meanwhile, the US dollar has rebounded and stock markets gained in Asia and Europe after US President Obama said Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Oil prices slid more than 1.0 per cent while "safe havens" such as gold and silver also lost value. Analysts said Bin Laden's death could reduce security risks and would help lift consumer sentiment in the US. But they warned that it would do little to ease the longer-term risks hanging over the US and global economies. "There is some feel-good value and the market will like that," said Chip Hanlon of Delta Global Advisers. Crowds gathered outside the White House in Washington DC, chanting "USA, USA" after the news emerged. NATO said on Monday the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a firefight with U.S. forces was a "significant success" for the security of NATO allies. The Western military alliance's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said in a statement that NATO should continue its mission in Afghanistan to ensure it "never again becomes a safe haven for extremism." Meanwhile, the FBI has updated its list of Most Wanted terrorists to note that Osama bin Laden is dead. Its website -- with details about bin Laden and the $27 million being offered in rewards -- now includes a large red-and-white "deceased" label atop bin Laden's photograph. Nine other highly sought after terrorists are still included on the FBI's list, including bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri. The US government also is offering a $25 million reward for information leading to his capture or conviction. Private groups had added $2.0 million in rewards on top of the $25 million bounty placed on bin Laden. World leaders welcomed the news of bin Laden's killing but warned that Al-Qaeda's willingness to wreak havoc was undimmed and that the possibility of reprisal attacks meant vigilance was more important than ever. Senior US officials said two men believed to be bin Laden's couriers and one of his adult sons were also killed in the raid, while a woman who was used as a human shield perished. Other US officials said they were stunned when intelligence reports first revealed the elaborate security at the compound where bin Laden was hiding, with 12-18 foot (four-to-six metre) high walls topped with barbed wire. Until now, bin Laden had always managed to evade US forces, despite a 25-million-dollar reward on his head, and was most often thought to be hiding in the unruly area on the Afghan-Pakistani border. His presence in Abbottabad -- a leafy town that is home to an elite Pakistani military academy -- raised new questions about the Islamabad government's zeal for prosecuting the war on terror alongside Washington. On Monday after the raid, Pakistani security forces deployed en masse around the middle-class neighbourhood of Abbottabad where bin Laden was killed, keeping journalists out. US officials made clear that Pakistan was not informed about the operation in advance, and Islamabad authorities had nothing to say in response to the killing for four hours before a carefully worded foreign ministry statement. Asked in an AFP interview about the extent of Pakistani cooperation, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said: "I don't know the details, I don't know minute details, but in short we have intelligence cooperation." He described bin Laden's death as a "great victory". "We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate the success of this operation," Gilani said. But leaders in both Afghanistan and India pointed the finger at Pakistan, saying that bin Laden's discovery and death so close to Islamabad vindicated their claims of double-dealing by their nuclear-armed neighbour. George W. Bush, who was US president at the time of the 911 attacks when about 3,000 people died, said bin Laden's death was a "victory for America" and congratulated Obama and US intelligence and military forces. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," Bush said. DNA tests confirm Laden death Another report adds, DNA tests have confirmed that Osama bin Laden is dead, a senior US official said Monday, a day after a daring raid by US special forces on the Al-Qaeda leader's compound in Pakistan. The official confirmed on condition of anonymity that a DNA match had been established with bin Laden's body before it was buried at sea after the raid. Another official said they were convinced the US operation had indeed killed bin Laden.