Washington: More than two months after
the killing of its leader Osama bin Laden, America`s
counter-terrorism officials believe that al-Qaeda is on the
brink of collapse.
"US counter-terrorism officials are increasingly
convinced that the killing of Osama bin Laden and the toll of
seven years of CIA drone strikes have pushed al Qaeda to the
brink of collapse," The Washington Post reported quoting US
officials.
"The assessment reflects a widespread view at the CIA
and other agencies that a relatively small number of
additional blows could effectively extinguish the
Pakistan-based organisation that carried out the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks an outcome that was seen as a
distant prospect for much of the past decade," it said.
According to the daily, US officials said that
al Qaeda might yet rally and that even its demise would not
end the terrorist threat, which is increasingly driven by
radicalised individuals as well as aggressive affiliates.
Indeed, officials said that al Qaeda`s offshoot in Yemen is
now seen as a greater counter terrorism challenge than the
organisation`s traditional base, it said.
Nevertheless, the top US national security officials
now allude to a potential finish line in the fight against
al Qaeda, a notion they played down before bin Laden was
killed by US forces in a May 2 raid in Pakistan.
PTI
