Obama lauds Bin Laden kill team

He also vowed the US would defeat the al-Qaeda terror network that Bin Laden previously led.

Obama's address came after he met the US Navy Seals and Army helicopter pilots involved in the raid in Pakistan, for a first-hand account of events on the ground.

Speaking before cheering troops at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Obama said: "These Americans deserve credit for one of the greatest military operations in our nation's history." Referring to the threat from al-Qaeda operatives, he said: "We have cut off their head and we will ultimately defeat them."

"It was a chance for me to say on behalf of Americans and people around the world 'job well done'," Obama said. "Thanks to the incredible skill and courage of countless individuals - intelligence, military over many years - the terrorist leader that struck our nation 9/11 will never threaten American again."

But he warned that what he called "a very tough fight" was not over yet.

The BBC reports that while the White House has tried to limit the fanfare surrounding the killing of Bin Laden, Obama’s speech represented “a testosterone moment before an audience of pumped-up soldiers.”

The US is currently at the heart of international controversy following the hasty burial of bin Laden’s body at sea and the refusal to publish photographs of the dead militant leader – purportedly to avoid inciting further Islamist fury.

Earlier, al-Qaeda confirmed the death of Bin Laden, according to a statement attributed to the group posted online.

Meanwhile, documents found at Bin Laden's compound suggest al-Qaeda was planning further US attacks. One planned attack targeted a US rail route, US officials revealed, although no imminent threat was detected.

Officials are examining computers, DVDs, hard drives and documents seized from the Abbottabad home where Bin Laden may have hidden for up to six years.

The statement posted by al-Qaeda on jihadist websites apparently confirming Bin Laden's death said his blood would not be "wasted" and that al-Qaeda would continue to attack the US and its allies.

Several rallies were held in Pakistan on Friday in protest against the US raid, which was carried out without the prior knowledge of the Pakistani authorities.

The Afghan Taliban also issued its own statement on Friday, saying the death of Bin Laden would give "new impetus to the current jihad".

He repeated his intention to draw down US forces in Afghanistan this summer.