WASHINGTON: CIA has reported that al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden is alive and fighting to survive. IA Director Michael Hayden said hunting down bin Laden remains his agency’s priority.

Though Hayden said al Qaeda has been hurt by a sustained fight with the United States and its allies, but remains a threat.

Regardless of whether bin Laden is actively helping lead the terrorist organization, the CIA believes capturing or killing him would be a huge blow to al Qaeda, according to Hayden.

Hayden said in a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, “He is putting a lot of energy into his own survival — a lot of energy into his own security.”

“In fact, he appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he nominally heads,” he said.

In recent weeks, there have been several U.S. missile strikes by unmanned drones around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The United States maintains that Taliban and al Qaeda forces operate with relative impunity in tribal areas.

0 comments