Originally published @ 12:30 pm, Mon 2nd May 2011
The Press Association has reported Tony Blair's reaction to the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden.
"My heartfelt gratitude to President Obama and to all of those who so brilliantly undertook and executed this operation.
"We should never forget 9/11 was also the worst ever terrorist attack against UK civilians, and our thoughts are with all those - American, British and from nations across the world - who lost their lives and with their loved ones who remain and who live with their loss.
"9/11 was an attack not just on the United States, but on all those who shared the best values of civilisation.
"The operation shows those who commit acts of terror against the innocent will be brought to justice, however long it takes.
"So this is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism but we know the fight against the terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents continues and is as urgent as ever."
Such is the nature of the modern world, many British people will have known some victim, or a friend of a victim, of the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks in New York and London.
A man 2 years below me at my school in Shrewsbury was on the second jet plane to be crashed into the World Trade Centre. A worker at the London computing centre of British Rail was killed on the bus blown up in London.
We should today remember the victims of the acts of violence organised by bin Laden.
Turns out, I had been to Abbottabad, back in August 2005, when apparently the construction of the his complex began. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad
Abbottabad is notable as a military base, and indeed the home town of one of my fellow city councillors whose dad worked for the military. But we only made a quick stop and all my photos are of the local flowers and hill side scenery.
Notable how most media coverage and commentators are focussing on potential threats rather than Tony Blair's key concern of defeating the ideology.
Also disappointing to find that initial stories of the events during the 40 minute attack have had to be rewritten.
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