Schakowsky releases statement on death of Osama bin Laden

Two days following President Barack Obama’s announcement that a team of U.S. Special Forces killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who represents Evanston, released a statement regarding bin Laden’s death.

Schakowsky serves on the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where she is a ranking member on the subcommittee on oversight.

The Committee on Intelligence oversees the collection of information to preserve national security, especially the monitoring of terrorist activities.

Agencies and organizations that fall under the committee’s jurisdiction include the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency. The raid on bin Laden’s compound that led to his death was carried out by U.S. Navy SEALs with intelligence support from the CIA.

The full text of Schakowsky’s statement is below:

“Last night Americans finally heard the long-awaited and hoped for news delivered by President Obama himself: Osama bin Laden is dead, killed as a result of a well-planned and brilliantly executed attack conducted by our intelligence community and the U.S. military.”

“The President and the brave men and women responsible for this victory deserve our gratitude for their persistence and courage. Al Qaeda has suffered many defeats over the last ten years, but none as significant as the death of the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and the leader of the terrorist organization that declared war on the United States.”

“It is my hope that this event will once again unite the world against the wholesale violence that we all witnessed nearly a decade ago and provide an opportunity to work together building a world in which people of all religions and beliefs can live in peace. We must remain vigilant, but this development should give all people of goodwill hope for the future.”