BBC News with Sue Montgomery
President Obama has met the American special forces that killed the al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on Monday morning. At a private ceremony at a military base in Kentucky, he
award
ed them the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honour of its kind for a military unit. In a speech
afterwards
to American troops, he said the operation against Osama Bin Laden was a "job well done".
"I came here for a simple reason to say thank you
on behalf of
America. This has been a historic week in the life of our nation.
Thanks to
the incredible skill and courage of
countless
individuals - intelligence, military over many years - the terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again."
A statement
purport
ing to be from al-Qaeda confirming the death of Osama Bin Laden has appeared on the Internet. It was posted on a number of Islamist websites. Gordon Corera reports.
The statement dated 3 May is the first apparent
acceptance
from al-Qaeda itself that Osama Bin Laden is dead, but also in an attempt to show that his organisation lives on. It warns of
retaliation
, saying American happiness will turn to sadness, and says his death will not go
in vain
. It also calls on the people of Pakistan to launch a rebellion against their government, who it described as having sold out to the enemies of God. An audio message about the Arab uprising recorded by Bin Laden a week before his death is promised soon. The statement cannot be independently