Al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan has been “decimated” by Predator and Reaper strikes, according to an NPR report:
CIA-directed airstrikes against al-Qaida leaders and facilities in Pakistan over the past six to nine months have been so successful, according to senior U.S. officials, that it is now possible to foresee a “complete al-Qaida defeat” in the mountainous region along the border with Afghanistan.
The officials say the terrorist network’s leadership cadre has been “decimated,” with up to a dozen senior and midlevel operatives killed as a result of the strikes and the remaining leaders reeling from the repeated attacks.
“The enemy is really, really struggling,” says one senior U.S. counterterrorism official. “These attacks have produced the broadest, deepest and most rapid reduction in al-Qaida senior leadership that we’ve seen in several years.”
Decimated is good. But the word “exterminated” is the one I’m looking for.
Yep, Cap’n, the only good’n is a dead’n.
Um… Remember when Obama said this: “al Qaeda is resurgent, stronger now than at any time since 2001.”
That was during the debates. He’s been in office for two weeks and Al Qaeda has been “decimated.”
Wow. He IS good…
I agree… however, Michael Yon’s thoughts on Afghanistan certainly are concerning:
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/afghanistan-a-dream-that-will-not-come-true.htm
[...] H/T Lex [...]
Decimated… I do not believe that word means what you think it means….
At least I hope we’ve killed more than 10% of them…
The term “Decimate” was term used by the Army of the Roman Republic. If a unit did poorly in combat, the unit was lined up and every tenth man fell out to be executed. After a legion broke in the Spartican revolt, the men were beaten to death by their mates. I’m not sure which would be worse, being killed by your friends, or having to live with the fact you may have been forced to kill your best friend.
Like Jeff I hope they did more than kill 10%. Like Lex, I’m looking for something much stronger. Exterminate is an excellent term, methinks.
Desecrated? Defecated?
Maybe Eliminated the Defecation?
I believe that the NPR wienies use/misuse
“decimated” in the sense that only 10% of Al Qaeda survives. They’re probably wrong on the numbers, but right on the general proportion.
Yeah, about 90% off the mark we want to achieve.
‘Course I gotta cut the writer some slack. I learned my math and history in public schools too…
Hmmm…
Given that the CIA is traditionally thought to be arm-in-arm with the ISI, the Paki intelligence service, and given that the ISI is full of Islamic extremists, I’m thinking that the ISI is doing a bit of housecleaning. This might mean that they’re sick of al-Qaeda making a mess in the garden, or it might mean they’re taking over al-Qaeda and getting us to do the scut-work.
Politics, bedfellows, etc.