WASHINGTON – Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
In a strikingly upbeat assessment, Hayden cited major gains against al-Qaeda's allies in the Middle East and an increasingly successful campaign to destabilize the group's core leadership.
While cautioning that al-Qaeda remains a serious threat, Hayden said Osama bin Laden is losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Islamic world and has largely forfeited his ability to exploit the Iraq war to recruit adherents. Two years ago, a CIA study concluded that the U.S.-led war had become a propaganda and marketing bonanza for al-Qaeda, generating legions of volunteers.
“On balance, we are doing pretty well,” Hayden said, citing a list of accomplishments: “Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally – and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically,' as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam.”
Some terror experts credit Hayden for going on the offensive against al-Qaeda in the area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the tempo of unmanned Predator drone strikes has dramatically increased from previous years.
