“Justice has been done,” proclaimed Barack Obama during his announcement that American operatives had yesterday killed Osama bin Laden. Before the American President concluded his speech, commentators were asking whether Bin Laden’s death still matters.

Since the September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, bin Laden has been the most notorious target for the United States “war on terror”. He remained so, despite significant changes to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network that he once ran. Over the past 10 years the organization has become more diffuse, largely organized by regional groups.

Former American intelligence official, Paul Pillard, told Reuters that he believes that in the "matter of leadership of terrorist operations, bin Laden has really not been the main story for some time. The instigation of most operations has been at the periphery not the center.” Al-Qaeda affiliated groups are active in Pakistan, the Arabian peninsula, East Africa and other regions. 

During a White House press briefing following Obama’s announcement, an unnamed senior administration official said the death of Osama bin Laden “is a major and essential step in bringing about Al-Qaeda’s eventual destruction.” Another official said, “bin Laden’s most influential role has been to designate the United States as Al-Qaeda’s primary target and to maintain organizational focus on that objective.” 

Avoiding reprisals

The American and British governments have increased security at their embassies and other overseas offices, citing the possibility of reprisals from Al-Qaeda. Careful American handling of information about bin Laden’s remains may also be an attempt to avoid retaliation.

Official American statements claim that bin Laden’s body is being treated in accordance with Islamic tradition. He was buried at sea after DNA was collected to verify his identity, according to US-based National Public Radio. Some media outlets have released a photo of what is purported to be bin Laden’s body, but its authenticity has not been confirmed by American officials. 

Imtiaz Gul, a defense analyst from Pakistan, says that fears of reprisals may have been behind Pakistan’s past reticence to take action against Al-Qaeda and other militant groups in the country. 

“The US now has a point to make with Pakistan that the people behind the Afghan insurgency may also be here,” Gul says. “I’m not saying that they are here, but it’s possible that they are coming and going.”

American drone strikes along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan have strained US-Pakistan relations in recent months, as did the arrest of an American intelligence agent in Lahore earlier this year. Gul says that the death of Osama bin Laden removes a public point of conflict between the two countries, and might help to improve relations.

No Pakistani involvement in killing

Despite some early suggestions that Pakistan’s security forces were involved in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden and at least four other people, American officials say they informed no other country about the plan to attack the Abbottabad compound. 

According to US government statements, the building where bin Laden was found is approximately five years old, and was likely built to hide “someone of significance”. According to some commentators, its close proximity to Pakistan’s military academy gives credence to Hilary Clinton's claims last year that people within Pakistan's bureaucracy knew Osama bin Laden's whereabouts.

Pakistan's government has made no outright response to those questions today. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement that the country “has played a significant role in efforts to eliminate terrorism. We have had extremely effective intelligence sharing arrangements with several intelligence agencies including that of the US.” 

In an interview earlier today, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said, "we will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism.”