our chief foreign correspondent richard engle standing by. richard, just for the -- for all of our edification, how close was the united states at tora bora to getting the result that we're announcing tonight? >> the united states was incredibly close at tora bora. there was so much criticism that the united states didn't follow through. they knew where osama bin laden was, but they didn't have the forces to actually close in and capture him and they allowed him to escape. but that right now seems almost like ancient history. the question now is how did they kill osama bin laden? and you mentioned just a short while ago, was it drone strikes? done strikes have been taking place for a long time, and the cia has been managing them, and i think an organization we're going to hear a lot about in the coming days is jsoc the joint special operations command. it's almost like the military's fifth branch of the military, army, air force, navy, marines and jsoc. and the global war on terrorism has created this organization as an incredibly powerful div

the question that you asked was so important to richard engle -- proof. we also remember the weekend announcement about saddam hussein, then the pictures released of a man inspecting a bearded saddam hussein after he was captured. here, proof of the body, as government officials are telling us, u.s. operation, u.s. personnel involved in killing bin laden. this will both need to be declarative, but also runs some risk, as you raised, in terms of how the rest of the world sees bin laden, and sees the u.s. handling. but this is different and less controversial in many ways. as general petraeus said to us back in august. this is an iconic figure for everyone engaged in counterterrorism around the world. this is not just about the united states. >> david, just in terms of your broadcast every sunday morning. and remember, we have viewers tuning in across the time zones, across the country, hearing the news about this, think of the tone and tenor and content this has marked, defined u.s. foreign policy. two wars were launched at least in the name of 9/11. of co

david. >>> richard engle live for us in cairo. thanks very much. >>> dominique strauss-kahn has left his jail cell on bail, but he had to find another place to stay because the fancy manhattan apartment building where his wife had rented an apartment would not take him. instead, strauss-kahn, who quit this week as head of the international monetary fund, will be under 24-hour home confinement in a building used by the private security company hired to guard him at all time. it was nearly a week ago now that he was arrested orn charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel housekeeper. he said he's not guilty. >>> the unsettled republican field is starting to take shape. former minnesota governor tim pawlenty is to announce he's making a run for the white house in an event monday in iowa. he will then head to early primary state new hampshire. he's seen as a low-key establishment republican who could run as an alternative to former massachusetts governor mitt romney. >>> another gop candidate, newt gingrich has had a rough week on the

our chief foreign correspondent richard engle in is tripoli tonight with the latest on this volatile situation in yemen. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, kate. the violence in yemen is now starting to look like a civil war with serious consequences for both the region and the united states. the most serious incident today was in the series of taez where witnesses say at least 20 demonstrators were killed during a government crackdown. the crackdown started with water cannons and tear gas. then sharp shooters moved in. backed by tanks and bulldozers. they destroyed an entire protest camp in the city of taez. witnesses say some of the tents were crushed with demonstrators still inside. in yemen's capital, furious crowds blamed president ali abdullah saleh, the u.s. ally in power for three decades. he's repeatedly refused to accept an internationally brokered deal to see him step down in exchange for immunity. stability in yemen is critical for the middle east and the united states. yemen borders saudi arabia, the world's leading oil producer and yom yemen is home to a powerful

richard engle, nbc news, tripoli. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton and joint chiefs chairman admiral mike mullen were in pakistan today. first visit by senior u.s. officials since the raid on bin laden's hideout. secretary clinton said there's no evident evidence that the country's senior leadership, at least, knew he was in the house, and it was a watershed moment for pakistan. she urged the people there to take decisive steps to fight terrorism. >>> in france, safety investigators have released the initial widely awaited findings from the black boxes of an air france flight that plunged into the atlantic almost two years ago now. 228 people died in that crash during the flight from rio to paris. nbc's tom costello has details, what we know about the final moments of the flight 447. >> reporter: it was a cockpit voice and data recorders discovered in the wreckage amid 13,000 feet of water that have given investigators their best clues into the disaster. the air bus was flying through heavy turbulence when its sensors iced over and failed. without those, the auto pilot and auto thrus

. >>> our chief foreign correspondent richard engle has been stationed overseas covering our nation's dual wars since virtually right after 9/11 happened here. richard, it makes sense to ask you about reaction throughout the arab world. >> reporter: the reaction has been very strong, brian. there's a hope that this marks the end of america's war on terrorism, which has been so costly, as everyone knows, for the united states, but also incredibly costly for the middle east. over the years, the al qaeda organization has killed more muslims than anyone else, and people here blame al qaeda wherever they're profiled at airport said. people in the region simply want to move on, brian. >> richard engle in what has been called the third front, libya these days. the news that was at the top of the broadcast until this. >>> a word to ow viewers, depending on your station, this is an hour-long of nbc news. if it doesn't air where you live, find us on the web. for us and for now, i'm brian williams. >>> good evening. you're watching a special hour long edition of "nightly news." after brian willi

our chief foreign correspondent richard engle has been reporting on this question today. with us tonight once again from benghazi, in libya, richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this is a very difficult decision. if the photographs were released very quickly, they would be used for propaganda purposes. they would become the wallpaper on cell phones and laptops of every would-be militant across the region, but the u.s. does have a tradition of trotting out these photos despite what the president said. when saddam hussein's sons were killed by the military, they released those graphic images and when abu musab al zarqawi another al qaeda leader, was killed in a special forces raid, his photograph was blown up by the military, poster-size, and presented at a press conference. because that's not happening this time, there's quite a bit of doubt on the internet and on the streets. >> richard engle in benghazi, libya, tonight, thanks for that. let's go to the scene of the raid in pakistan where high level pakistani officials arrived today at bin laden's compo

our chief foreign correspondent richard engle has been reporting on this question today. with us from benghazi in love ye libya, richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this is a very difficult decision. if the photographs were released very quickly, they would be used for propaganda purposes. they would become the wallpaper on cell phones and laptops of any would-be militant across the region, but the u.s. does haa tradition of trotting out these dutritions. when saddam hussein's sons were killed by the military, they released those graphic images and when abu asob zukari was killed, his picture was blown up poeszer-sized and presented at a press conference. because it's not happening this time, there's quite a bit of doubt on the internet and on the streets. >> richard engle in benghazi, liyeah. let's go to the scene of the raid in pakistan where high level officials arrived at the compound north of islamabad. tonight, there are more pictures from inside the hideout where the s.e.a.l.s made the raid that killed osama bin laden. stephanie gosk is there fo

. >>> our chief foreign correspondent richard engle has been stationed overseas covering our nation'sally right after 9/11 happened here. richard, it makes sense to ask you about reaction throughout the arab world. >> reporter: the reaction has been very strong, brian. there's a hope that this marks the end of america's war on terrori terrorism, which has been so costly, as everyone knows, for the united states, but also costly for the arabs. they have killed more muslims than anyone else, and people blame al qaeda when they're profiled at the airports. they want to move on. >> richard engle in what has been called the third front, libya, the news that wads at the top of the broadcast until this. >>> a word to ow viewers, depending on your station, this is an hour-long of nbc news. for us and for now, i'm brian williams.

richard engle in is cairo. andrea mitchell is in washington. richard, considering you and i walked right behind you there through the square, the height of the first of the uprising, how is this going over there? >> reporter: people have not been terribly impressed. they didn't think president obama was nearly specific enough. they wanted a concrete plan of action to advance on the israeli/palestinian front. they didn't think they heard anything new, frankly, brian. >> and andrea mitchell in washington, understandable, i'm guessing, you're going to report kind of a different view. >> reporter: the white house view is there's a grim landscape right now for accomplishing anything on the peace front. egypt brokered the deal between the palestinian government and hamas declaring hamas part of the talks, and hamas is an enemy of israel. they won't recognize israel's right to exist. george mitchell, the middle east negotiator has quit. so one argument would be why take the political heat to launch something now that's not going to go anywhere? that sa

all of this brings us back to richard engle, who is in libya. and richard, you and i have on occasion been given a good glimpse inside u.s. military special operations. but no one can match your time embedded with the u.s. military or speak with the authority you have on this ten-year effort to find this one man. >> it is incredible when you look back at it. ten years, america's war on terrorism, and how costly it has been. a trillion dollars, thousands of american families, american soldiers who have lost their loved ones in the fight. and it's just been a war that has set the tone for american society for the last decade. after 9/11, the united states mobilized for war. seeking justice and revenge. troops invaded afghanistan almost immediate. within two months, al qaeda's hosts, the taliban, were thrown out of power. osama bin laden got away, but regime change in afghanistan done with few troops and high technology, seemed so easy. the bush white house tried it again in iraq. u.s. officials said saddam hussein was developing weapons of mass des

richard engle has more on who could be stepping up. >> osama bin laden's death has slightly elevated the second command to take control. he actually has a long history with islamic violence than even osama bin laden, and he is just as dedicated to attacking the united states. 59-years-old, he was raised in a middle-class cairo suburb. he trained to be a surgeon, but he was more interested in radical islam than medicine. by 1982, he was arrested in egypt with -- in connection of the assassination of the late president. he was never linked directly to killing the president. he was released in 1984, but was hardened and wanted revenge for torture. he led a group called egyptian islamic jihad. in 1998 he made an alliance with osama bin laden. and all other interviewed him three times, including after 9/11. he said al qaeda remains dangerous under him. and >> the world is still a very unsafe place. tick of the united states has been tracking him and tried to kill him at least six times. perhaps because of his medical background, he has long expressed an interest in using chemical and biol

our chief foreign correspondent richard engle tracking it all again tonight from his post in benghazi, libya. richard, i understand the problem today was again, syrians firing on their own people. >> reporter: it was, and that has been the problem from the start. the syrian government has denied entry visas to foreign journalists. it clearly doesn't want the world to see what it is doing, which is a systematic city by city sweep against protesters. overnight, syria deployed tanks in the city of homs. witnesses say dozens of tanks have set up checkpoints and shelled the city earlier today. even as funerals were held for pro testers killed in this seven-week crackdown. human rights groups say they have documented more than 700 killings since unrest began. many more, perhaps 10,000, have been arrested. and there are no signs of foreign intervention coming, or that the syrian government has any intention of stopping. syrian president bashar assad said he's fighting an armed insurrection instigated from outside the country. the european unit has imposed an arms embargo on syria. and travel

but chuck, before i go to you, let me bring in our chief correspondent, richard engle., as it is throughout the world. >> this is nothing less than breathtaking. this ends a chapter, the global war on terrorism which has defined a generation, which has defined the u.s. military missions in afghanistan and iraq. so many people, so many soldiers have been waiting for this moment. i know incredible numbers of troops who have been wondering what they're doing in iraq, wondering what they're doing in afghanistan year after year, deployment after deployment. and now when they hear that osama bin laden is dead, they will feel that their sacrifice has been for something. and they will say that the united states -- mabt's not saf safsaf safer, maybe it's a symbolic moment, but the reason they signed up for military service, and so many young men and women signed up after 9/11, was to achieve a victory against osama bin laden. this is a turning point for the global war on terrorism. and in many ways, the global war on terrorism which has defined our generation, which has defined