CIA Director Michael Hayden in his third year at the head of the CIA gives a thumb up to his agency’s operations against the Al-Qaeda.

In an interview given to Washington Post on Friday, CIA Director Michael Hayden had this to say,

” Near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al Qaeda globally — and here I’m going to use the word ‘ideologically,’ as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam.”

The CIA has given itself more than passing marks on its efforts to contain the terrorist menace around the world. This self congratulatory pat comes less than a year after CIA warned of fresh attacks from the terror group. The CIA and the US Intelligence community believe that Al-Qaeda is the culprit behind the suicide bombings and other attacks in Iraq. These attacks include an attack on a Shi’ite shrine in Samarra in February 2006 that set off a wave of sectarian killings and very nearly sent Iraq into all-out civil war.
The other major hotspot on the CIA’s agenda over the last few years has been strife torn Afghanistan. A country emerging from years of conflicts and the hegemonic rule of the Taliban is currently the center of operations for the Al-Qaeda leadership. Outlining their overall strategy, Michael Hayden said that Osama and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri remain on their most wanted list. Among the successes has been the killing of three top officers of the Qaeda since the beginning of the year. Though according to the director, CIA and military operations have brought down ‘training activity’ of the terrorists in the region, failure to capture the two figureheads has been a constant headache. One limiting factor has been the ‘no trespassing’ limits on military operations along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

“The ability to kill and capture key members of al-Qaeda continues, and keeps them off balance — even in their best safe haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.”

said the Director.

That’s the good news. But with it Michael Hayden gives a note of caution. His thoughts are on the ‘growing complacency’ around the world post the September 11 attacks. He says that the world is returning to the comfort mindset it had before the WTC attacks. That in itself is dangerous, because their is a difference between ‘being safe’ and ‘normalcy’.

His concerns are no doubt valid, because though the terror threat is very much real, the terrorists are invisible. With no dearth of funds and motivation, they remain implacable as ever. Hopefully, it won’t take the world another shock to wake itself up from the slumber