US President Barack Obama has met the military team that killed Osama Bin Laden and praised their mission as “one of the greatest military operations in our nation’s history”.
“They practiced tirelessly for this mission. When I gave the order, they were ready,” Mr Obama said.
The president was speaking at the Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky.
Meanwhile, documents found at Osama Bin Laden’s compound suggest al-Qaeda was planning further attacks on the US.
Officials are examining computers, DVDs, hard-drives and documents seized from the Abbottabad home where Bin Laden may have hid for up to six years.
One planned attack targeted a US rail route, US officials revealed, although no imminent threat was detected.
Raid team meeting
Speaking at Fort Campbell, Mr Obama said: “These Americans deserve credit for one of the greatest military operations in our nation’s history.”
Mr Obama, who was joined by Vice-President Joe Biden, also thanked soldiers who have returned from Afghanistan for their military service.
The president is later scheduled to make a stop in Indianapolis, in the state of Indiana, later on Friday to promote his energy policies and showcase a transmission plant that produces systems for hybrid cars.
The president made a trip to the site of the World Trade Center on Thursday, where he met firefighters and police officers who responded to the 9/11 attacks.
“When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say,” the president told firefighters in New York.
He did not mentioned Bin Laden by name publicly during his trip on Thursday, and political analysts have said the White House is being cautious about overplaying its hand regarding the operation in Pakistan.
The president has received some criticism in the past several days for not releasing photographs of Bin Laden’s corpse, but his opinion poll ratings have risen in the wake of his decision to authorise the raid.
Death ‘confirmation‘
Meanwhile, al-Qaeda has confirmed the death of its leader Osama Bin Laden, according to a statement attributed to the group and posted on jihadist internet forums.
The statement said his blood would not be “wasted” and that al-Qaeda would continue attacking the US and allies.
Bin Laden was shot dead on Monday when US commandos stormed his compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad.
American officials say the CIA had been secretly watching for months the house in Pakistan where Bin Laden was killed.
From a safe house in Abbottabad, a surveillance team used telephoto lenses and sensitive eavesdropping equipment, US reports said.
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Obama meets Bin Laden raid team