Panetta: "Strategically defeating" al-Qaeda

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, predicting that “strategically defeating” al-Qaeda is within reach, is scheduled to meet with Afghan security officials and American troops on his second day in Afghanistan today.
A successful handover of security responsibility to the Afghans hinges on the capability of their own security forces, Panetta said yesterday. In his last job as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Panetta oversaw the Navy SEALs operation in May that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
The combination of that pressure and the squeeze on al- Qaeda in Yemen and elsewhere creates “a real prospect” for “strategic dismantling or strategic defeat,” he said.