Al-Qaeda losing strength as key operatives are killed in strikes

Recent targeted attacks that killed militants in Somalia, Indonesia and Pakistan have chipped away at al-Qaeda's power base, sapping the terrorist network of key leaders and experienced operatives.
Intelligence officials said Friday that the military strikes have reduced al-Qaeda's core leadership to only a handful of men and have diminished its ability to train fighters, forcing al-Qaeda to turn to its global affiliates for survival.
The killings of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in Somalia, Noordin Muhammed Top in Indonesia and Baitullah Mehsud in Pakistan – all in recent weeks – have been the latest blow.
A U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the deaths deal "a major near-term blow to their respective militant groups." HERE the whole AP story