Al-Qaeda founder¹ and leader Osama Bin² Laden³ has been killed by US forces in Pakistan, President Obama has said.

美国总统奥巴马称，基地组织创始人、领导奥萨马·本·拉登在巴基斯坦被美军击毙。

Bin Laden was top of the US 'most wanted' list
The al-Qaeda leader was killed 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 his body.

Bin Laden was accused of being behind a number of atrocities⁴（暴行，残忍） , including the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.

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".

The US has put its embassies around the world on alert, warning Americans of the possibility of al-Qaeda reprisal⁵（报复） attacks for Bin Laden's killing⁶.

Crowds gathered outside the White House in Washington DC, chanting "USA, USA" after the news emerged.

'Lead last August'

Bin Laden approved the 9/11 attacks in which nearly 3,000 people died, saying later that the results had exceeded his expectations.

He evaded⁷（逃避） the forces of the US and its allies for almost a decade, despite a $25m bounty⁸（奖金） on his head.

His death will be seen as a major blow to al-Qaeda but also raises fears of reprisal attacks, correspondents say.

Mr Obama said he had been briefed last August on a possible lead to Bin Laden's whereabouts.

"It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground," Mr Obama said.

"I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located Bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan.

"And finally, last week, I determined⁹ that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorised an operation to get Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice," the president said.

On Sunday a small team of US forces undertook the operation in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad.

After a "firefight" Bin Laden was killed and his body taken by US forces, the president said.