Why Osama bin Laden was world's most hunted...??..

OSAMA bin Laden has been killed, US President Barack Obama has confirmed. The following explains why he was the world's most wanted man.
Who was Osama bin Laden?

Osama bin Laden was the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and the number one target in the United States' "war on terror". He was born in Saudi Arabia in 1957 as part of a billionaire family and used that wealth to establish and fund his global terror network.

What did he do?

Al-Qaeda is blamed for the September 11 attacks in the United States which killed almost 3000 people. He had been on the run ever since, with most intelligence reports suggesting he was moving back and forth in the border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
While al-Qaeda did not immediately claim responsibility for the September 11 attacks, a video recording later released apparently showed top figures saying it went "better than expected".  Other videos purportedly show similar planning and training sessions.  The group rarely claimed responsibility for attacks.
Al-Qaeda was formed out of the CIA-backed resistance fight against the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.  By 1988 it was being reported to be a "formal" terrorist organization.  Before September 11, the group had been responsible - or blamed - for widespread bombings across Africa and the Middle East, including the 1998 bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania which killed over 200 people and injured thousands.  It was also blamed for the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, which killed 17 American sailors and wounded 39.

How was he killed?

President Obama has said he was briefed last August on a report about the location of bin Laden, hiding within a compound deep within Pakistan and last week authorized the assault on the compound near Abbottabad, about 100km north of the capital Islamabad.
The attack was carried out in four helicopters on Sunday (US time) by a small group of the Navy's elite SEAL Team Six under the command of CIA Director Leon Panetta. After a firefight they killed bin Laden with a shot to the head.  Sources have said one of the helicopters crashed, possibly as a result of enemy fire, although US officials later said the chopper was destroyed after suffering mechanical failure.  There were no American casualties in the raid, which also killed three other men and one woman.
"The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's efforts to defeat al Qaeda," the president said.

What happened to his body?

After bin Laden was confirmed dead, US forces took custody of his body. A US official has since confirmed that bin Laden was buried at sea, in accordance with Islamic law and tradition, which dictates the body must be buried within 24 hours of death.
Earlier reports that journalists would be invited to view the body seem to have been unfounded.  A sea burial was favored to prevent a grave site becoming a shrine.
After Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay were killed, pictures of their bodies were broadcast around the world, ostensibly to reassure tormented Iraqis that they really were dead.  Video of Saddam's execution emerged on YouTube.
A similar public display in this case would risk sparking a backlash from al-Qaeda cells and sympathizers and possibly anger moderate allies.  However officials have said the burial was recorded and video could be released.

Had he come close to capture or death before?

Soon after the start of the war in Afghanistan and the ousting of the Taliban, a fierce battle in the hills of Tora Bora raged for days in October 2001.  That battle has long been acknowledged as the closest the US had come to catching bin Laden.  It was later confirmed by military and intelligence bosses that they still believed bin Laden had only narrowly slipped away from them in that battle.

After that, the trail largely went cold.  Former president George W. Bush said bin Laden had gone from being "wanted dead or alive" to being just one part of the campaign, and one he rarely thought about.

What did bin Laden do while on the run?

The precise details of his movements are unknown, of course.  But he did not stay silent.  Several times over his first few years as a fugitive, he released audio tapes commenting on recent events, including the war in Iraq and al-Qaeda activity there under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and other terrorist attacks from al-Qaeda groups or their satellites.

Those tapes underlined his status as a global terror figurehead and inspiration and provided a powerful propaganda tool.  Later, such tapes were also issued by Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda no.2 Ayman al-Zawarhiri, who remains a fugitive.
It is possible a tape was prepared for use in the event of his death.

What does this mean for al-Qaeda?

It is a big loss of a figurehead leader, but ultimately the group was always established to be able to survive the elimination of its top ranks.  Rather than having one command structure and hierarchy with cells taking commands from bin Laden at "al-Qaeda HQ", they have always been set up to act more as franchises, operating independently along similar goals and with similar methods.
Announcing the death, President Obama warned Americans this was not the end of al-Qaeda.  "There is no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us," he said.
However many of the al-Qaeda leadership of 2001 is now dead or captured and either in Guantanamo Bay or other US-run locations, or - in the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - awaiting trial in New York on Sepetmber 11-related charges.  Possibly the largest blow will be to future recruiting of militants, with the loss of the propaganda boost of having a leader successfully evading the most powerful military in the world.

What does this mean for the war in Afghanistan?

The main opposition in the war in Afghanistan is a resurgent Taliban, with some al-Qaeda remnants in support.  The Taliban figurehead leader Mullah Mohammed Omar remains at large.
The NATO-led military alliance in Afghanistan is due to begin handing tactical control to local forces this year, paving the way for troop withdrawals.  The US had been scheduled to start drawing down its troop commitment from July this year.

How did bin Laden and al-Qaeda impact Australia?

Ten Australians were killed in the September 11 attacks and more were caught in other attacks in the years after, which were either planned by or "inspired by" al-Qaeda, such as the 2005 London bombings and attacks in Jakarta, Egypt and Morocco.
But the deepest impact was felt in 2002 in Bali.  The bombings at the nightclubs there in October 2002, which killed 202 people, claimed 88 Australian lives.  While the attacks were blamed on regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, experts have claimed links between JI figures and linkmen to al-Qaeda, most notably Hambali, known as "Asia's bin Laden". 
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said she hoped the news would give their loved ones some closure.  "We as a nation still remember their loss and we remember it today.  I trust that today's news comes as some small measure of justice for those who still grieve the loss of their loved ones."
Australia has also spent nearly 10 years as part of the war in Afghanistan.  That conflict has claimed 23 Australian lives.

What has been the reaction so far?

As news broke in anticipation of the President's announcement, crowds numbering in the thousands began gathering to celebrate on the grounds in front of the White House and at the site of the World Trade Centre in New York, destroyed nearly 10 years ago.  People waved American flags and chanted "USA! USA!"

Former presidents Bush and Clinton issued statements welcoming the mastermind's death.  "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," Mr Bush has said.  Mr Clinton was president at the time of the embassy and Cole attacks and during the first bombing of the World Trade Centre.