U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Israeli President Shimon Peres meet in Jerusalem, Aug. 1, 2012. Panetta is on a five-day trip to the region to meet with leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Israel and Jordan. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-CuomoPanetta: Only A 'Small Handful' Of Top al-Qaida Targets Left -- NBC/Reuters
Nearly one year ago, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta predicted the strategic defeat of al-Qaida was within reach if the United States could kill or capture up to 20 leaders of the core group and its affiliates.
In an interview with Reuters, Panetta disclosed that only a "small handful" of the individuals on that original list remained on the battlefield and that Saudi Arabia -- the birthplace of late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden -- was reporting a drop-off in recruitment.
"We've not only impacted on their leadership, we've impacted on their capability to provide any kind of command and control in terms of operations," Panetta said Thursday.
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My Comment: When they get this Al Qaeda leader is when I will say that the war against Al Qaeda as we have known it since 9/11 is now over. Our conflict and energies should then be directed against Al Qaeda wannabes and affiliated groups.
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