ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 1 (UPI) -- Pakistan's offensive against Islamic extremists in the country's northwest, coupled with U.S. drone missile attacks, is disrupting al-Qaida, sources say.
Unnamed U.S. counterterrorism and military officials told Monday's Washington Post that the two measures are undermining al-Qaida's long-impenetrable strongholds in Pakistan's mountainous tribal regions and is producing a new optimism that the terrorist group can be reached.
One U.S. counterterrorism official told the newspaper that although al-Qaida remains "a serious, potent threat, 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."
Pakistan's military assault against al-Qaida's Taliban allies in the North West Frontier Province is also posing a dilemma for al-Qaida, another unnamed U.S. official told the Post.
"They're asking themselves, 'Are we going to contest'" Taliban losses, he said, adding that U.S. officials believe al-Qaida will "have to make a move" to use open communications such as cellphones and computers more often in a bid to gather information on the fighting.
"Then they become more visible," the official said.
