The U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden shows that the Taliban cannot defeat the United States in occupied Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday.

Clinton spoke after it was announced that bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. helicopter raid on a mansion near the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

A U.S. invasion toppled the Taliban government in Afghanistan in late 2001.

"In Afghanistan we will continue taking the fight to al Qaeda and their Taliban allies while working to support the Afghan people as they build a stronger government and begin to take responsibility for their own security," Clinton said.

"Our message to the Taliban remains the same, but today it may have even greater resonance: you cannot wait us out, you cannot defeat us, but you can make the choice to abandon al Qaeda and participate in a peaceful political process," she added in brief remarks at the State Department.

Reuters