From senior Al-Qaeda commanders killed or arrested in Pakistan, to multiple bombings in Bangladesh and new attacks on tourists in Bali, the terror threat in Asia is more diffused and difficult to combat than ever. Experts say the Al-Qaeda network has been definitely weakened but the four-year US-led war on terror has not brought to its knees the network of world’s most hunted, Osama bin Laden, whose fate remains unknown. More than 800 people have been killed, mostly in Asian countries, in some 14 attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda since the September 9, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed almost 3,000 people. Analysts say the terror group has won to its side several local and regional Islamist militant groups, particularly in Asia. Al Qaeda has been providing them with finances, training and counseling in target selection. “The Asian, Middle Eastern, African and Caucasian Groups within Al Qaedas ideological orbit of global jihad that received support now emulate Al Qaeda,” Rohan Gunaratna, head of the terrorism research center in Singapore, said. Full Story
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