In his first remarks since taking over as Defense secretary, Leon Panetta said that the defeat of al Qaeda is within reach. He said that after the death of Osama bin Laden, eliminating between 10 and 20 key leaders would effectively cripple the group. Panetta added that those leaders are hiding in Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and North Africa. He said, “If we can be successful going after them, I think we can undermine their ability to do any kind of planning, to be able to conduct any kind of attack.”
