Al-Qaeda is under more pressure in Pakistan now than at any time since the September 11, 2001 attacks, US President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address Tuesday: “Their leaders and operatives are being removed from the battlefield. Their safe havens are shrinking.” Obama said. “And we have sent a message from the Afghan border so the Arabian Peninsula to all parts of the globe: we will not relent, we will not waiver and we will defeat you.” Obama thanked counter-terrorism operatives foiling the plots that Al Qaeda continues to plan but also sought to reassure American Muslims that there would be no backlash against them. “As extremists try to inspire acts of violence within our borders, we are responding with the strength of our communities, with respect for the rule of law and with the conviction that American Muslims are a part of our American family.” he said.
