Washington, May 2, 2011 - REYES STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) released the following statement on the death of Osama bin Laden, the terrorist mastermind behind the September 11th attacks who was killed by U.S. special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan:

“The death of Osama bin Laden represents the most significant military and intelligence accomplishment against al Qaeda and those responsible for killing nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001.  Nearly 10 years since those tragic events, our military and intelligence professionals have successfully ended one of the most extensive manhunts in history, and brought to justice the mastermind behind numerous terrorist attacks that killed thousands of innocent civilians around the world.  While this is an important milestone in the fight against al Qaeda, we cannot afford to let our guard down and must remain vigilant in our efforts to combat global terrorism.

“Yesterday’s heroic actions by our government’s forces are the culmination of years of hard work by our intelligence and military professionals.  As the former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, I had the opportunity to meet with men and women of our armed forces and intelligence agencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including those working to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.  The extent of their sacrifices will likely never be fully known to most Americans, but our nation is deeply indebted to them and their families for their service, and their willingness to risk their lives to protect all of us here at home.

“When the President first came to office, he made a commitment to refocus our nation’s efforts on al Qaeda and dismantling the terrorist network by winding down our operations in Iraq and increasing our forces in Afghanistan.  The death of Osama bin Laden is a devastating blow to the al Qaeda network, and sends a clear message to those who seek to do us harm that we will not waiver in our pursuit of justice, and we will relentlessly pursue terrorists who threaten our nation.  I commend our Commander-in-Chief and his national security team, particularly CIA Director Leon Panetta, who was tasked with making the capture or killing of bin Laden the agency’s top priority.

“The death of Osama bin Laden is not without significant human costs to our nation.  The courageous efforts by our intelligence professions to find al Qaeda’s leader has resulted in significant casualties, including the death of seven agents who perished in a deadly attack on the CIA in Khost, Afghanistan.  When I first learned of bin Laden’s death, I was immediately reminded of their bravery and sacrifice on that fateful day.  I hope the death of Osama bin Laden brings some measure of closure to the families who lost a loved one during the attacks of September 11th, and to those families who lost a loved one in the effort to bring those responsible to justice.”