US President Obama says world safer without Leader of Terrorist - Bin Laden

he US President has said the world is better and safer after the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Barack Obama said bin Laden's death showed that the US had kept its commitment to seeing that justice was done.

Obama also praised the people gathered spontaneously at the White House and in New York to celebrate bin Laden's death, saying that embodied the true spirit and patriotism of America.

He plans to visit New York on Thursday to honour victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the city and with the families of those killed.

Bin Laden claimed responsibility for planning the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Osama bin Laden, the most-wanted fugitive on the US list, was killed in a firefight with American forces in Pakistan and quickly buried at sea.

Long believed to be hiding in the mountainous tribal region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, bin Laden was tracked down to a custom-built mansion in the town of Abbottabad, 61km north of the capital Islamabad.

Confronted by US special forces who were dropped by helicopter into the compound, bin Laden was shot dead in a 40-minute operation under the cover of night, US officials said.

Crowds gathered to celebrate outside the White House in Washington, DC, as well as in New York City - one of the sites of the September 11 attacks.
But celebrations over the operation were tempered by fears of retaliation, and the US quickly issued security warnings to Americans worldwide.

The US said on Tuesday it was closing its embassy in Pakistan's capital and consulates in three other cities
for routine business to the public until further notice amid fears of reprisal attacks.

"A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability," Obama said.

"After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."

Four people, including one of bin Laden's sons, were also killed in the operation, US officials said.

After the firefight, US officials said they used "multiple methods" to positively identify bin Laden's remains.

US officials said later on Monday that DNA tests confirmed the death, providing a match with 99.9 per cent confidence.

The US is believed to have collected DNA samples from bin Laden family members in the years since the September 11, 2001, attacks that triggered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.