Al-Qaeda defeat within reach, says new US Defence Secretary Read more: htt

[Project 627]

KABUL: The US is now ''within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda'' and the American focus has narrowed to capturing or killing 10 to 20 crucial leaders of the terrorist group in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, the US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta, has said.

Mr Panetta, who took over as defence secretary from Robert Gates on July 1, made his comments aboard his plane before arriving on an unannounced trip to Kabul on Saturday.

They were Mr Panetta's first public remarks in his new post and were among the most positive to come from a senior US national security official about the decade-old war against the terrorist organisation - founded by Osama bin Laden - that was responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001.
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Mr Panetta, who as director of central intelligence ran the American commando raid that killed bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2, said vanquishing al-Qaeda was one of his most important goals in his new role.

''Obviously we made an important start with that in getting rid of bin Laden,'' Mr Panetta said. ''But I was convinced in my capacity and I'm convinced in this capacity that we're within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda. And I'm hoping to be able to focus on that, working obviously with my prior agency as well.''

Intelligence officials have said computer files retrieved from bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, showed that the organisation was in dire need of money and struggling under persistent US drone strikes on its leadership.

''I think now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them,'' Mr Panetta said. ''I do believe … we can really cripple al-Qaeda as a threat to this country.''

Mr Panetta made clear that two of his top goals were to remove Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was named al-Qaeda's leader after the death of bin Laden, and Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical American-born cleric believed to be hiding in Yemen.

In one of the most specific descriptions from an Obama administration official of Zawahiri's whereabouts, Mr Panetta said he believed that Zawahiri was living in Pakistan's mountainous north-west frontier.

But, he acknowledged: ''With these guys you never know. But at least the best intelligence we have is that he's located somewhere there.''

Despite the perils in Pakistan, Mr Panetta said there were greater dangers to the US in Yemen. ''There's no question when you look at what constitutes the biggest threat in terms of attacks on the United States right now, more of that comes from Yemen and people like Awlaki,'' he said.


http://www.smh.com.au/world/alqaeda...-new-us-defence-secretary-20110710-1h8wb.html

 

[Leader]

he looks like being beaten by his wife. look at his defeated face...

 

[PERSIAN GOD KING]

The guy looks like an octopus..

 

[nomi007]

why he came to Afghanistan at surprise visit

 

[Malik Usman]

Just a political speach to long run his career as Defence Minister...................otherwise everybody knows how much they are successded to finish Al-Qaida or Taliban.......they just don't openely accept this that they have loss the war.............

 

[mirage 5000]

why people become stupid after they get status of superpower?

 

[Solomon2]

Just a political speach to long run his career as Defence Minister...

What American other than Panetta would know better how close Al-Qaeda is to defeat? Besides, he was already a congressman when he decided to drop out of politics and become a top bureaucrat. Do you really think that a man with a face like that has further political ambitions? I don't.