Al Qaeda confirms killing of bin Laden

Al Qaeda confirmed Osama bin Laden’s death on Friday and urged its followers to continue the fight against America.

The extremist group posted a statement on various militant websites, according to The Associated Press, its first since U.S. forces killed bin Laden, the group’s leader, on Sunday.

“We stress that the blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden,
God bless him, is precious to us and to all Muslims and will not go in
vain,” the statement said. “We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing
the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their
countries.

{mosads}”Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness … their blood will be mingled with their tears.”

The statement comes after President Obama announced that the administration would not release photos of bin Laden’s body so as to not inflame the U.S.’s enemies.

But some high-ranking administration officials and lawmakers wanted the photos released to clear up any doubt that bin Laden was killed, especially in the Muslim world.

The AP stressed that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the statement, but that it was posted on websites al Qaeda typically uses to post messages.