Al-Qaeda shaken by drone strikes in Pak: US officials

Washington, Jun.1 (ANI): The missile strikes being carried out by US drones has unsettled Al-Qaeda and other terror groups operating the tribal belt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, US intelligence and military officials have claimed.

They believe Al-Qaeda has suffered major losses in the attacks, but still remains a potent threat to the world.

"They've suffered some serious losses and seem to be feeling a heightened sense of anxiety, and that's not a bad thing at all," The Washington Post quoted a US counterterrorism official, as saying.

He believed that the fact the Taliban is being pushed out by the Pakistan Army has put Al-Qaeda in dilemma that whether to come out and fight a face to face battle or just keep hiding.

He said it will have to have to 'make a move' to keep on fighting, which would then give the allied forces an advantage over the extremists.

"Al-Qaeda will 'have to make a move' and undertake more open communication on cellphones and computers, even if only to gather information on the situation in the region. Then they become more visible," he added.

US and Pakistan officials have claimed in the recent past that the drone strikes have been successful in eliminating about half of 20 U.S.designated 'high-value' Al-Qaeda commanders and other extremists in the tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

However, the United States also believes that the anti-US sentiments in Pakistan are increasing due to the drone stikes, which Islamabad has consistently condemned terming it as 'counterproductive' in the war on terror.

"Anti-U.S. sentiment has already been increasing in Pakistan,especially in regard to cross-border and reported drone strikes, which Pakistanis perceive to cause unacceptable civilian casualties," the Central Command chief General David Petraeus said recently.

General Petraeus also highlighted on an immediate need to build trust between both the countries.

"The need to establish a trusting, mutually beneficial U.S.-Pakistan partnership is pressing, yet the ability to do so is severely challenged by current events," he had said. (ANI)