Terrorism
Al-Qaida Defeat ‘Within Reach,’ But a Yemen Offshoot Is a Threat
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently declared that a strategic defeat of al-Qaida is “within reach,” a position that is shared by U.S. counterterrorism officials.
According to the Washington Post, there is “a widespread view at the CIA and other agencies that a relatively small number of additional blows could effectively extinguish the Pakistan-based organization.”
Officials say the bigger threat is al-Qaida’s offshoot in Yemen, called AQAP, the story says. In response, the Obama administration has constructed a secret airfield to launch armed CIA drones in the country. And the demise of al-Qaida would not end the terrorist threat, an anonymous official told the Post.
