Clinton: US will 'take the fight' to Taliban post-bin Laden

US secretary of state to those who doubted US would settle score with Bin Laden: "This is America ... We persevere, we get the job done"; echoes Obama's statement: "Justice has been served."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Clinton 311 reuters (photo credit: Reuters)
Clinton 311 reuters
(photo credit: Reuters)
The United States will continue to "take the fight" to the Taliban in Afghanistan following the US killing of Osama bin Laden, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday, noting that 11 years after the 9-11 attacks, "justice has been served."
Clinton spoke following an announcement by US President Barack Obama that US special forces soldiers had killed al Qaida's top terrorist in Pakistan on Sunday.
Addressing members of al Qaida, Clinton said: "You cannot defeat us, but you can make the choice to abandon al Qaida and participate in a peaceful political process."
RELATED:US team's mission was to kill Osama bin Laden, not captureWorld leaders breathe sighs of relief over bin Laden hit
The US secretary of state, in a press conference, offered her "thoughts and prayers" to those killed in attacks by Bin Laden's al Qaida terrorist network. Those attacks, she said, showed "no value for human life or regard for human dignity."
Now, she declared, "justice has been served." Clinton added, There is no better rebuke to al Qaida and its heinous ideology."
Addressing those who doubted the United States would catch up with the mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attack, Clinton proudly retorted, "This is America ... We persevere and we get the job done."
"In Afghanistan we will continue taking the fight to al Qaeda and their Taliban allies while working to support the Afghan people as they build a stronger government and begin to take responsibility for their own security," Clinton said.
"Our message to the Taliban remains the same, but today it may have even greater resonance: you cannot wait us out, you cannot defeat us, but you can make the choice to abandon al Qaida and participate in a peaceful political process," she added in brief remarks at the State Department.
Reuters contributed to this report.