Photo: AP Photo/GEO TV An image made from Geo TV video shows flames at what is thought to be the compound where terror mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Abbatabad, Pakistan.
Blamed for terrorist atrocities on at least three continents, Osama bin Laden was the target of perhaps the largest U.S. manhunt in history.
Following the catastrophic attacks on New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001, President Bush publicly vowed to find the man believed to be the master mind - Osama bin Laden. "This man wants to destroy any semblance of civilization for his own power and his own good. He's so evil that he's willing to send young men to commit suicide while he hides in caves. Not only is he guilty of incredible murder, but he has no conscience and no soul," he said.
Born on March 10 1957, bin Laden was one of more than 50 children of a wealthy Saudi construction magnate who died when Osama bin Laden was a teenager.
Raised in the opulence of Saudi Arabia's upper-class, bin Laden went on to pursue an engineering degree and seemed headed for work in the family business.
But his life forever changed when, in 1979, the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
Bin Laden, like many Muslims, left home to join the fight against the Soviets, although at first his participation amounted only to logistical support for new recruits to the Afghan mujahedin Islamic fighters - the same ones supported by the United States.
But in the mid-1980's, bin Laden decided to use his share of his family's wealth to form his own militia force, which later became known as "al-Qaida" - Arabic for "The Base."
After the Soviets withdrew, bin Laden returned home, but kept ties with fellow veterans from the Afghan war and maintained an interest in other Muslim causes.
Another major turning point in his life came in 1990 when Iraq invaded the oil-rich Persian Gulf state of Kuwait, prompting Saudi Arabia to invite U.S. troops to deploy within its territory.
Bin Laden saw the arrival of non-Muslims on what he considered holy land as an affront to Islam. He protested strongly against the move, resulting in his expulsion from Saudi Arabia in 1991.
Bin Laden found refuge in Sudan, where he is said to have orchestrated attacks on the U.S. military in Somalia and Saudi Arabia. Under U.S. pressure, the Sudanese expelled him in 1996, and he returned once more to Afghanistan.
Bin Laden quickly became a close ally of Afghanistan's new rulers, the hard-line Islamist Taliban movement, providing them with needed funds.
Osama bin Laden became associated with attacks on the West and his popularity grew among those unhappy with U.S. policy in the Middle East. He became an icon of resistance to the United States, regardless of whether or not people actually support Osama as an individual or the ideology he represents.
Stopping bin Laden became the top priority for the United States following the New York and Washington attacks in 2001, which claimed more than 3,000 lives.
Please think of the questions that could get the following answers
1. on Sunday
2. to find the man believed to be the master mind - Osama bin Laden.
3. send young men to commit suicide while he hides in caves
4. on March 10 1957
5. when Osama bin Laden was a teenager.
6. when, in 1979, the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
7. to join the fight against the Soviets
8. use his share of his family's wealth to form his own militia force
9. the oil-rich Persian Gulf state of Kuwait
10. in Sudan,
11. to Afghanistan.
12. needed funds.
13. 3,000
14. I don't think so
adapted from AP, Reuters, VOA
