Osama’s death, Middle East uprisings a significant blow to Al-Qaeda: US officials
May 4th, 2011 - 3:12 pm ICT by ANIWashington, May 4(ANI): Osama bin Laden’s death in the midst of the Middle East uprisings marks a significant blow to the network of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, top US officials have said.
The Saudi-born terrorist, who had evaded capture for a decade, was killed Sunday night in a top secret operation involving a small team of US Special Forces in Pakistan’s Abbottabad city.
“I think that it’s very significant that this happened at the backdrop of the Arab spring. It’s now clear that there may well be an alternative to the status quo,” Fox News quoted Matthew Levitt, a former intelligence official with the Treasury Department, as saying.
He said people are becoming “less and less drawn to the Al-Qaeda narrative”.
White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan made a similar argument.
“There is a new wave sweeping through the Middle East right now that puts a premium on individual rights and freedom and dignity. And so Al-Qaeda, bin Laden, old news. Now’s the time to move forward,” Brennan said.
Meanwhile, Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said the US role and the terror threat must continue to be examined in the wake of bin Laden’s death.
“The fight against the violence and the hatred that he fomented is not over,” he said.
Bin Laden, accused of being behind a number of atrocities, including the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, was at the top of the US “most wanted” list. (ANI)
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