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CH-46 helicopters from HMM-364 land at the assembly area for Task Force Mech to drop off U.S. Marines from 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in Iraq. Task Force Mech, Ground Combat Element, Multi National Force - West is conducting operations along the northern boundary of Al Anbar Providence in support of Operation Defeat Al Qaida in the North.

Jason W. Fudge/Courtesy U.S. Marine Corps

After years of war, countless drone attacks both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the death of Osama bin Laden, counterterrorism officials have told The Washington Post that they believe the al-Qaida terror network is on the brink of collapse.

In early July, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he is convinced the U.S. is within reach of “strategically” defeating al-Qaida if military and intelligence operations can nab fewer than 20 key leaders remaining between Pakistan and North Africa.

Panetta’s remarks were his strongest indication yet that the U.S. was nearing defeat of the terrorist organization nearly 10 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and months after the killing of al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden.

And while the counterterrorism officials' assessment seems to back Panetta's assertive words, the demise of al-Qaida doesn't mean an end to terrorist threat, the Post reports, citing an al-Qaida offshoot in Yemen as an example.

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