Panetta: U.S. "within reach" of defeating al Qaeda

Leon Panetta testifies during his confirmation hearing to become Defense Secretary in this June 9, 2011 file photo.

/ Win McNamee/Getty Images

The United States is "within reach of strategically defeating al Qaeda," Leon Panetta declared, as he traveled to Afghanistan for his first visit there as Secretary of Defense.

Speaking to reporters aboard a government flight to Kabul, Panetta said intelligence gathered during the raid at Osama bin Laden's compound has lead the United States to target 10-20 key al Qaeda leaders.

"If we can go after them, I think we really can strategically defeat al Qaeda," Panetta said.

The success of the May raid on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where bin Laden was killed, along with "operations that we conducted at the CIA," has undermined the terror organization's ability to conduct 9/11-type attacks, he added.

"I think we have them on the run," Panetta said. "I think now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them, because I do believe that if we continue this effort we really can cripple al Qaeda as a threat to this country.

"Is it going to take some more work? You bet it is. But I think it's within reach," Panetta said.

Panetta also said he believes Aymin al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's new commander, is living in the tribal areas of Pakistan, known as the FATA.

Panetta has now been Secretary of Defense Panetta for one week. "One of the things I've already had to do ," he said, "is sign condolence letters to the families. And it makes me that much more aware of the great responsibility we have to support these men and women and to do everything we can to support their families."

Panetta will meet with Afghan President Hamed Karzai in Kabul to discuss U.S. plans to begin drawing down American troops and efforts to build Afghan security forces.

He noted that as CIA Director he had developed a good relationship with Karzai, adding hopefully it can be the beginning of a "much better relationship" than Washington has had with its Afghan ally over the past few years.

[RabbNexus]

LOL.

Leon laddy, all you have to do to defeat al-CIAduh, is to stop paying their salaries.

[usunus]

Let Panetta first defeat Gaddafi and qualify for the round with Al Qaeda.

[RabbNexus]

I love it, you yanks are so thick. Well one problem there would be that to defeat Gadhafi you need to support al-Qaeda. Since it is literally al-Qaeda engaged in the rebels fight. By the way, the vast majority of Libyans support Gadhafi, as well they might, you are as usual just supporting the small group of greedy extremists who will sell their people to the the nation looters.

[Guitfiddel]

Regardless of all these postings I think this Administration under President Obama has done a a GREAT JOB compared to all the armchair quarterbacks that have done "NOTHING-NADA" or worse like:
1.Allowing us to be attacked on our own soil from something that could of been stopped which cost the lives of 3000+American Men, Women and Children.
2. Allowing OBL to get away with the 9/11 slaughter without any concern (PUNK Sissy OUT) which gave the murderers even more incentive to continue their task all over the World because of their VICTORY against us.
3. Having another 4,744 American Kids which were from mostly Middle and Lower Middle income families sent home in body bags because of OUT RIGHT LYING about Weapons of Mass Destruction to protect their OIL INVESTMENTS.
President Obama and his Adminstration not only avenged millions of American Families for the loss of their loved ones but, saved the WORLD from anymore of Osama bin Laden's masterminding that Baby and Dicky didn't have a clue about or, much less even cared. (LIARS)
So, to me the Obama Adminstration has done an EXELLENT JOB compared to dizzy, half-wit, spineless punks of the last administration of Baby and Dick. That's one of the many reasons I'm voting for Obama in 2012!

[RabbNexus]

OBL died of kidney failure in December 2001. It isn't a secret, just not reported in the USA. Believe it or not, you lot are so stupiud that's all it takes to keep you ignorant.

Everyone in Pakistan knows OBL was not killed in Abbatobad, all your Obie did there was kill his ghost, and as usual for reasons of leading to more war and bloodshed. Pakistan is being targeted by you serial human rights abusers now, that is all. No need to wail and call me names either, you can look it up, use google and just see how easy it is to establish that the big bad Osama Bin Laden, died of Kidney Failure in December of 2001. It was confirmed by people at his funeral and by MOSSAD a short while leader even. The site with the best information on this was subject to a DOS attack as the nonsense phony Abbatobad operation was in the news. Here it is.

Replace the DOTs and you'll have it, I assume this site will remove this comment soon as this truth is not meant to be known in the USA.

whatreallyhappenedDOTcom/WRHARTICLES/osama_deadDOTphp

[jim61938]

I call an announcement such as this stupid and irresponsible. One of two things will happen now. Al Qaeda and other terror cells will go further into hiding to make it look like they are gone and then resume operations once the US and company pull out or they are going to go on the offensive in a big way just to show how powerful they still are.
It is obvious from this statement that the political masters at least have no idea who and what they/we are facing. They do not understand the culture or the people. They do not understand what truly motivates them, and they do not understand that you can not truly defeat an enemy until you know him like you know yourself.

[Ralphinphnx]

The fact still remains very clear that the Chicago Community Organizer
from Kenya Messiah Barack Hussein Obama,with no military service,being
made Commander in Chief of our US Military and Obama continously keeping on appointing old line senile life long Democratic Party has been like Leon Panetta,a Clinton Era White House Yes Man Flunky to be
first CIA Director and now Sec of Defense,certainly is also good reason to not repeat these kind of total arrogant stupid mistakes again in 2012 as the Manure Spreader from Kenya,as GOP Presidential
Candidate Tim Pawlenty correctly called Obama recently...Further it is
also very good reason to NOT ever elect a equally senile as Panetta,
old fool 75 year Republican like goofy Ron Paul,or 67 year old nutcase Newt Gingrich,or 65 year old Pizza Man Herman Cain,or the 65 year old
Obama Lite RINO Flip Flop Willard Mittens Romney,or RINO John Huntsman
a fellow Romney secret magic undies cult member to be our next President and once again prove the simple definition of Insanity,made
famous by the late Albert Einstein,"Doing the same dumb thing over and
over again and each time expecting different results" is still true today as ever. We need fresh new younger fresh blood in the White House now and not a Second Term Failed Community Organizer Democrat,
Manure Spreader Obama or any of the current crop of over the hill gang
Republicans and their other kooky kookies as well. Vote Wisely in 2012!

[Ralphinphnx]

Oh sure,sure here Obama and old fool Sec of Defense Leon Panetta,
but why does Panetta's remark about "US within reach of defeating
Al_Qeada" keep reminding me of LBJ & Robert McNamara telling us over and over again,"We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel"
in Viet Nam endlessly here now then?

[Imthaid2]

Within reach of defeating them my A S S! What he means is they will give up, declare victory right before election time, and force the media to stop covering the disaster we leave behind. The Al Qaeda will not just quit fighting because Obama needs some campaign leverage or because love is in the air. You have to be completely stupid to believe ANYTHING that has come out of Washington, D.C in the past 10 years. I REALLY wonder who was the worst president. Obama or bush. Neither one has the country's interest in mind. Only lies and sabotage.

[Anonymot]

Optimism is one thing, lying is another, considering everyone to be stupid venough to believe your lies is the 3rd level down, but the 4th and bottom rung is to be so out of touch with reality that you believe your own lies. That's stupidity on a truly dangerous level.

Our preceding President, his team, our Generals and their teams, our current President and his team, including the sorry clown who's the subject of this article - every last one of them is on level 4. None of them have understood why, who or what they are fighting. If anyone is left standing 20 years from now, they will all be a curse on the lips of the survivors.

[aintfakin]

what is it about the bitter frustrated and willingness to foam at the mouth with the posters in here. Panetta merely tries to show a little optimism in the war on these cretin cave dwellers and all the lunatic fringe sees another excuse....any excuse really to howl like moonbats.
This partisan thing is way out of control. The divisiveness in our own country is way more threatening than these ideologically bankrupt terrorists.
Hey
let me dredge up an old right wing excuse when it was said that bush wasn't doing enough......"There haven't been any more attacks on our homeland...have there?"

[expatriate2]

Which could equally prove that the WTT attack was done by a group of radicals unassociated with any worldwide terror network. This, of course, would also imply that the loss of numerous civil rights was unnecessary and represented an executive power move of unprecedented proportions.

[mb91764]

As the late osama bin laden said,"I will destory your whole ecoconmy and not lift one finger to do it."Did he not do are did we do it to ourselfs?Trilllons in debt 9.2% jobless,corporate greed,High food and gas prices.Yes he can or the we do it from within.Who is our true "Terrorists" is the question?Some rag head a 5000 miles away or some suit sitting in a office in Washington or Wall Street?Simple question but hard to answer.

[expatriate2]

A 12-year-old boy in Kaiser, Mo. Shot and killed his mother and stepfather. In Fairplay, Colo., 14-year-old John Caudle shot and killed his parents because he didn't want to take out the garbage. Yesterday in Grand Rapids, Mich. a man killed seven people before taking his own life. Today in Wyoming, Everett E. Conant killed his three sons and his brother.
This is the world we live in. Terror is not only an international condition but afflicts society at all levels. America is not immune from attack, nor should it be. This is the real world. Madrid will tell you as will London. Indonesia will tell you as will Nepal. Israel will tell you as will the Palestinians. The neighborhood killings that haunt our news are microcosms of the greater world and a collective dementia grips cities and towns everywhere. To even imagine that it is more horrific when within United States boundaries is a denial that Americans live in the real world.
Are we close to defeating al Quaeda? It is only important as long as people believe that al Quaeda is the architect of terror, which it is not. Dozens of groups believe that violence breeds influence and are ready to prove it just as hundreds lurk at the brink of personal acts of terror that bring tragedies to families. Welcome to the 21st Century on Planet Earth.