Seeking 'utter destruction' of al-Qaeda,the US has chalked out a strategy to disrupt,dismantle and ultimately defeat the terror network and its core leadership in the Af-Pak region,where they have found a safe haven. "We need to dismantle the core of al-Qaida,its leadership in the tribal regions of Pakistan,and prevent its ability to reestablish a safe haven in the Pakistan- Afghanistan region," John Brennan,Assistant to the US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism,said in his speech at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. "We seek nothing less than the utter destruction of this evil that calls itself al-Qaeda," Brennan said yesterday,laying out the Obama administration's plan to battle al-Qaeda in the era after Osama bin Laden. The Obama administration aims to render the heart of al-Qaida incapable of launching attacks against the US,America's allies,as well as preventing them from inspiring its affiliates and adherents to do so,he said. "At the same time,ultimately defeating al-Qaida also means addressing the serious threat posed by its affiliates and adherents operating outside South Asia. This does not require a global war,but it does require a focus on specific regions,including what we might call the periphery: places like Yemen,Somalia,Iraq,and the Maghreb," he said. As the al-Qaida core has weakened under our unyielding pressure,it has looked increasingly to these other groups and individuals to take up its cause,including its goal of striking the United States,he said. "We are denying al-Qaeda any safe haven - the physical sanctuary that it needs to train,plot and launch attacks against us. We are aggressively confronting al-Qaeda's ideology,which attempts to exploit local and often legitimate grievances in attempt to justify its violence," Brennan said. "We are depriving al-Qaeda of its enabling means,including the illicit financing,logistical support and online communications that sustain its network. And we are working to prevent al-Qaeda from acquiring or developing weapons of mass destruction,which is why President (Barack) Obama is leading the global effort to secure the world's vulnerable materials in four years." Brennan said the US is now working with Pakistan to overcome differences and continue their efforts against al Qaeda. "It is essential that we do so. As frustrating as this relationship can sometimes be,Pakistan has been absolutely critical to many of our most significant successes against al-Qaeda. And despite recent tensions,I am confident that Pakistan will remain one of our most important counterterrorism partners," he said. ".even as we use all the resources at our disposal against al-Qaeda,we will apply the right tools in the right way and in the right place,with laser focus," he said. "In some places,such as the tribal regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan,we will deliver precise and overwhelming force against al-Qaeda. Whenever possible,our efforts around the world will be in close coordination with our partners. And,when necessary,as the President has said repeatedly,if we have information about the whereabouts of al-Qaeda,we will do what is required to protect the United States,as we did with bin Laden," Brennan said.
