OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RICHARD M. DALEY
MAYOR
May 4, 2011
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution acknowledging our successful counterterrorism effort to eliminate Osama bin Laden.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, On Sunday, May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama informed the American people that Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the heinous September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and for countless other atrocities around the world, had been killed by United States Special Operation Forces at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan; and
WHEREAS, Shortly after his inauguration as President of the United States, President Barack Obama directed Leon Panetta, the Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, to make the killing or capture of Osama bin Laden the top priority ofthe war against al Qaeda, even as the United States and its allies continued their broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat bin Laden's terrorism network; and
WHEREAS, In August of 2010, following years of painstaking intelligence work by United States military and counterterrorism professionals, President Obama was briefed by his national security team on a possible lead to bin Laden, and he directed them to follow it; and
WHEREAS, Beginning in March of 2011, President Obama presided over a series of national security meetings at the White House to review plans for a targeted operation to bring Osama bin Laden to justice. After concluding that the United States had enough intelligence information to act, President Obama authorized a small, elite team of United States Navy SEALs to strike; and
WHEREAS, In the dark of night, two dozen Navy SEALs slid down ropes from helicopters and dropped into bin Laden's high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a town 35 miles north of Islamabad, the Pakistani capital; and
WHEREAS, After entering Osama bin Laden's compound, American forces quickly and methodically battled their way to its upper floors, where they found the man who had eluded justice for so long. When bin Laden did not surrender peacefully, the Navy SEALs valiantly fulfilled their mission. Minutes into the raid, bin Laden was killed and his body was retrieved for identification and burial at sea; and
WHEREAS, This highly successful and daring military operation was the result of years of hard, sustained and heroic work by members of the United States military and intelligence apparatus. Brilliantly executed by a well-trained, highly capable and fearless team of American soldiers, this truly historic mission would not have occurred had it not been for the decisive leadership provided by our Nation's Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama; and
WHEREAS, The news of Osama bin Laden's demise has brought great relief to people around the world. The end of his murderous reign as head of al Qaeda is a victory for America, for all people who champion peace and freedom in this world, and especially for those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. God willing, his death will usher in an era not of recrimination but of lasting peace; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled this fourth day of May, 2011, do hereby applaud President Barack Obama; his national security team; all of the United States Navy SEALs who courageously risked their lives to bring Osama bin Laden to justice; and all of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who dedicate themselves each day to combating the scourge of global terrorism on behalf of the United States and its citizens; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to President Barack Obama, to Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency Leon E. Panetta and to United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus as a token of our appreciation and esteem.