Osama's death has reunited US: Obama

The news of the United States elite forces eliminating Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden brought the entire country together as "an American family", President Barack Obama said on Monday night.

"As Americans learned that the United States had carried out an operation that resulted in the capture and death of Osama bin Laden, I think we experienced the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11," Obama said in his remarks at a Congressional bipartisan dinner.

"We were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for, and what we can achieve, that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics," Obama said.

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He said the administration had scheduled the dinner a few weeks as he thought it would be a good opportunity for leaders of both parties and their spouses to spend some time together outside of politics. "And tonight seems like an especially fitting occasion to do this. Obviously we've all had disagreements and differences in the past. I suspect we'll have them again in the future," he added.

Recognising the heroes who carried out this "incredibly dangerous" mission, as well as all the military and counter-terrorism professionals who made the mission possible, Obama said he also wants to thank the members of Congress from both parties who have given extraordinary support to the military and the intelligence officials. "Without your support, they could not do what they do," he said.

"I know that that unity that we felt on 9/11 has frayed a little bit over the years, and I have no illusions about the difficulties of the debates that we'll have to be engaged in, in the weeks and months to come," Obama said.

"But I also know there have been several moments like this during the course of this year that have brought us together as an American family, whether it was the tragedy in Tucson or, most recently, our unified response to the terrible storms that have taken place in the South," he said.

"Last night was one of those moments. And so tonight, it is my fervent hope that we can harness some of that unity and some of that pride to confront the many challenges that we still face," Obama said.