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December 2, 2008 8:28:51 PM CST

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Al-Qaeda Looks Weaker, But Still Hungry to Strike

Posted Sep 11, 08 2:48 PM CDT in US,  World 

(Newser) – Seven years after 9/11, al-Qaeda's hatred of the West hasn't waned, even if some experts think the terrorist group’s capabilities are weakened, the Los Angeles Times reports. Al-Qaeda’s failure to launch any major attacks since 2005 suggests that aggressive prosecution and prevention operations have been successful. However, Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy are still at large.

The extent of the terrorist network’s capacity is debatable. The Globe and Mail reports that instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan is an alarming sign of strategic success for extremists. And a panel of experts writing in Der Spiegel comes up with divergent answers, suggesting the West’s understanding of al-Qaeda remains murky, years after the first major encounter.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, Globe and Mail, Der Spiegel

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"Intelligence services have penetrated the networks. They have the desire to attack, but whether they have the capacity is less clear," one analyst says of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.   (AP Photo)
"The threat hasn't manifested itself in the West recently, but the picture looks a lot different if you are in Algiers or Islamabad," one official says.   (AP Photo)
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Al-Qaeda is now down to a tactical-level threat. The fact that there hasn't been a follow-up attack in the US speaks volumes of the success of the US against this transnational, non-state actor. - Kamran Bokhari, Middle East analyst

We've eliminated a lot of important players [in al-Qaeda] but all those players have been substituted.
- Christine Fair, Rand Corp. analyst

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Pakistan • Afghanistan • al-Qaeda • War on Terror • Osama bin Laden


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