Qaeda down,US mulls speedy Afghan pullout

The officials said the intense campaign of drone strikes and other covert operations in Pakistan most dramatically the raid that killed Osama bin Laden had left al-Qaeda paralysed,with its leaders either dead or pinned down in the frontier area near Afghanistan. Of 30 prominent members in the region identified by intelligence agencies as targets,20 have been killed in the last year and a half,they said,reducing the threat they pose.

Their confidence,these officials said,was buttressed by information found in Osamas compound in Pakistan. They said the trove revealed disarray within al-Qaedas leadership,with a frustrated Osama indicating he could no longer direct terrorist attacks by lieutenants who feared for their lives.

The US success in the counterterrorism campaign would seem to bolster arguments for a swift withdrawal from Afghanistan an issue the administration is currently examining. The officials emphasised Obama had not yet decided about that issue.

Fighting al-Qaeda,they noted,was the main reason Obama agreed to deploy 30,000 more troops last year,even as he adopted a broader,more troop-intensive and time-consuming strategy of making key towns in Afghanistan safe from the Taliban.

The officials analysis of the counterterrorism operations clearly reflected conclusions presented to the president as the deliberations over force levels reach their final stage. The conclusions would seem to give Obama room to justify a more accelerated withdrawal than the plan sought by the Pentagon.

The White House appears to be moving swiftly to conclude the internal debate,with officials saying that the president may announce a decision as early as next week.