A statement posted on militant websites said that Americans’ “happiness will turn to sadness.“
A man holds a photograph of Osama bin Laden, during a protest outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, to denounce the U.S. commando raid that killed the al-Qaida leader. Al-Qaida on Friday confirmed the killing of Osama bin Laden and warned of retaliation, saying Americans' "happiness will turn to sadness. WASHINGTON – President Barack H. Obama was on his way to deliver in-person thanks Friday to service members involved in killing Osama bin Laden, as al-Qaida issued a threat of retaliation for its leader’s death.
A statement posted on militant websites gave al-Qaida’s confirmation of bin Laden’s killing, opening the way for a successor to be named, and said that Americans’ “happiness will turn to sadness.“ Its authenticity could not be independently confirmed.
It was the first statement from al-Qaida since bin Laden died in a U.S. commando raid in Pakistan five days ago, and a reminder that despite his death, threats to America remain.
It came as the president headed to Fort Campbell, Ky., home to the Army unit involved in transporting Navy SEALs in and out of bin Laden’s compound.
White House officials said that Obama will express his gratitude to the raid participants privately. The president, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, also will address soldiers who have returned recently from Afghanistan, speaking in a public forum that highlights the military triumph over bin Laden.
At the same time, Obama was seeking to convey a return to the business of governing. Before arriving in Fort Campbell Friday afternoon the president was making a stop in Indianapolis to promote his energy policies.
In Indianapolis the president also planned to address monthly jobs numbers released Friday, which showed that the economy added 244,000 jobs in April, beating expectations. At the same time, though, the unemployment rate ticked up to 9 percent.
Obama has tried to avoid rejoicing publicly over bin Laden’s death. But he has maintained a steady stream of events that have kept the success of the remarkable commando operation at the forefront. On Thursday he visited New York to lay a wreath at ground zero and visit fire and police stations that responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack that was carried out by bin Laden’s al-Qaida operatives. The president met privately there with victims’ families, but in public Obama never mentioned bin Laden by name. He didn’t have to.
“When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say,” Obama told firefighters.
But the White House is wary of overplaying its hand. Obama decided not to release photographs of bin Laden’s corpse, saying, “We don’t need to spike the football.”
And the president also has hewed to his regular schedule, participating in policy sessions and routine ceremonial events.
Without bin Laden’s death to overshadow it, the trip to Indianapolis to showcase a transmission plant that produces systems for hybrid vehicles would have policy and political consequences. Obama has been promoting his energy policies as a long-term answer to rising oil prices and U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The skyrocketing cost of gasoline had caused Obama’s public approval numbers to dip until bin Laden’s death shoved them back up. What’s more, Indiana is a battleground state that Obama won narrowly in 2008 by less than 30,000 votes.
Still, the centerpiece of the day for the president will be the stop at Fort Campbell.
The fort is home to the 101st Airborne Division and many of its combat teams have returned recently from tours of duty in Afghanistan. But its main draw for Obama is the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the highly specialized Army unit that carried Navy SEALs to bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The unit, known as Night Stalkers, has fought in nearly every U.S. conflict, from Grenada to Afghanistan, and was memorialized in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.“ Many of its missions are classified and among its primary duties are flying special forces commandos behind enemy lines.
They are equipped with Black Hawk, Chinook and MH-6 Little Bird helicopters. Aviation experts said a helicopter used in the bin Laden raid appeared to be a stealthier, top secret and never-before-seen version of a routinely used special ops helicopter. The helicopter made a hard landing and was destroyed by the military team at the site.
More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.