'Eroded' al Qaeda still a threat

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Al Qaeda's capability to conduct major attacks has "eroded significantly" as a result of the war on terrorism, but the terrorist group has not been destroyed, according to U.S. intelligence officials and security specialists.

More than two years after the September 11 attacks, al Qaeda "is battered, but they remain dangerous. They're still recruiting jihadists into the fold," said a U.S. official with access to intelligence reports.

"Osama bin Laden and the group's dwindling top leadership are increasingly isolated from the organization's wider network," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Security specialists think al Qaeda, in large measure, has lost the ability to carry out major attacks that can kill thousands, utilizing a centralized command that, in the past, has ordered attacks from places such as Afghanistan.

Instead, the group, which still operates in small clandestine cells, has become even more decentralized.

No new al Qaeda-linked groups have formed in recent months, but some groups that are linked to al Qaeda by Islamist ideology are becoming greater threats, notably in Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf and East Africa.

"We remain concerned about continued threats from al Qaeda's regional networks that appear to be growing more autonomous," said the official, adding that some of the groups "are operating more independently and they're more dangerous."

Among the current al Qaeda offshoots identified by U.S. intelligence agencies are:

• Abu Sayyaf group (Philippines)