Osama Bin Laden's Death Greeted With Celebration, Anger
May 2, 2011— -- News of Osama bin Laden's death was cause for celebration in many countries around the world today, but the al Qaeda leader's followers called it "a black day" and warned that his death would not end the threat of terrorist attacks.
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Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said the terrorist's death was a "great result in the fight against evil," and French President Nicholas Sarkozy celebrated the "tenacity of the United States" in its long search for bin Laden.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the result of the raid was "a resounding victory for justice, for freedom and for the shared values of all democratic countries that fight shoulder to shoulder against terror."
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called bin Laden's death a "significant success," and stressed that the NATO allies "will continue their mission to ensure that Afghanistan never becomes a safe haven for extremism, but develops in peace and security."
In Kenya, where a U.S. embassy was allegedly bombed by al Qaeda in 1998, President Mwai Kibaki remembered the 225 lives that were lost.
"His killing is an act of justice to those Kenyans who lost their lives and the many more who suffered injuries," he said.
Families Find No Comfort in Terrorist's Death
While there was much elation over the news, at least some of those who lost family members at the hands of al Qaeda attacks were not comforted by bin Laden's death.
"I don't gain any satisfaction in his death -- nothing will bring Josh back to me," said Brian Deegan, a lawyer in Australia who lost his son in a 2002 bombing linked to the terrorist organization in Bali.
More than 260 people have been killed in Indonesia in al Qaeda-related attacks.
Reactions in the Muslim World Are Varied
Reaction in the Muslim world to the al Qaeda leader's death was mixed.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was greeted with applause when he gave the news to local government leaders.
"I hope the death of Osama bin Laden will mean the end of terrorism," he said. He also told reporters that the terrorist "received his due punishment," and that his hands "were dipped in the blood of thousands and thousands of children, youths and elders of Afghanistan."
Yet he also took the time to say that the battle against terrorism should be fought in Pakistan, and not in Afghan villages.
Meanwhile, in the same country, a rickshaw driver in Jalalabad hailed bin Laden as a hero in the Muslim world.
"His struggle was always against non-Muslims and infidels and against superpowers," Sayed Jalal said.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh condemned the United States for killing bin Laden, calling it a continuation of the American oppression and shedding of blood of Muslims and Arabs.
"Despite the difference in opinions and agenda between us and them, we condemn the assassination of a Muslim and Arabic warrior and we pray to God that his soul rests in peace," he told reporters in Gaza.
On the other hand, the leader of the Palestian Authority, Salam Fayyed, congratulated the United States for the raid.
Other Followers Vow Revenge
Many followers of the terrorist leader expressed sadness over his death and vowed to take revenge against those who caused his death.
"Obama, the killer, bragged about this so-called victory, but because he has a dead heart, he couldn't hide the fear of what's coming," said Salah Anani, a Palestinian-Jordan militant leader who is allegedly linked to al Qaeda. "There will soon be another leader."
Another idealogue going by the handle "Assad al-Jihad2" on many extremist Web sites promised to "avenge the killing of the Sheik of Islam."
One ex-Taliban fighter in eastern Afghanistan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that his heart is broken over the news of bin Laden's death.
"In the past, we heard a lot of rumors about his death, but if he did die, it is a disaster and a black day," he said.
