US intelligence chief John Negroponte said that Al-Qaeda is a weakened organization that serves mainly as an inspiration to other Islamic terrorist groups. But Negroponte predicted it will take a generation to win the ideological struggle against Islamic extremist groups which have grown and spread by inflaming grievances that are commonly held in the Muslim world. His comments came a day after the airing of an audio tape attributed to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden calling on Muslim fighters to wage war in Sudan against “crusader thieves.” Full Story