Al Qaeda’s “nerve centre” lies in Pakistan even though the recent killings of Osama bin Laden in May and now its number two Atiyah abd al-Rahman has dealt the global terror group a severe blow, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. “Al Qaeda in Pakistan clearly remains a nerve centre of the organisation, and remains dangerous. They have suffered significant losses in the recent years,” Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters during an off-camera news conference.
To a question, Little said Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula also remained a considerable concern. “I think the secretary (of defence) has made the key point that keeping up the intense pressure on leadership of Al Qaeda and its militant allies is very important. He believes that it is essential to protecting this country. It is essential to eventually defeating and dismantling Al Qaeda,” he said.
“The latest death of Atiyah abd al-Rahman, who had grown in prominence inside al Qaeda in recent years is a significant blow to the group,” Little said.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference that Pakistan and Washington shared similar interests in getting the region rid of Al Qaeda. “Beyond saying that our counterterrorism work with Pakistan continues, that these issues have not always been smooth, sometimes our work together is complex, but we share an interest with Pakistan in ridding the region of Al Qaeda, and that work will continue,” she said.
Al Qaeda’s ‘nerve centre’ lies in Pakistan: Pentagon
