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Al-Qaeda on the defensive, says CIA

Washington: The Al-Qaeda has been essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and is on the defensive throughout most of the rest of the world, the CIA claimed.

The upbeat assessment comes less than a year after U.S. intelligence reported that the Al-Qaeda had rebuilt its strength around the world and was well-placed to launch fresh attacks.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Michael Hayden, CIA Director, said: “On balance, we are doing pretty well. Near strategic defeat of the Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for the Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for the Al-Qaeda globally and here I’m going to use the word ‘ideologically’, as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam.”

Mr. Hayden cited U.S. success in using Predator drone planes to strike against suspected Al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan, including the killings this year of Abu Laith al-Libi and Abu Sulayman al-Jazairi. He said: “The ability to kill and capture key members of the Al-Qaeda continues, and keeps them off balance.”

He added that capturing Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, still at large seven years after 9/11, remained a top priority. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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