Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta “said that following the killing of Osama Bin Laden, key leaders in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere had been identified and would be targeted. …Speaking to journalists, Mr Panetta revealed that US analysts had determined that following the death of Bin Laden in May, killing or capturing ‘around 10 to 20 key leaders’ of al-Qaeda and its offshoots would cripple the network. ‘We’re within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda,’ he said. ‘The key is that, having gotten Bin Laden, we’ve now identified some of the key leadership within al-Qaeda, both in Pakistan as well as in Yemen and other areas. If we can be successful at going after them, I think we can really undermine their ability to do any kind of planning, to be able to conduct any kind of attack,’ he added. ‘That’s why I think it’s within reach.’ ”
– “US ‘Within reach of strategic defeat of al-Qaeda,'” BBC News, July 9, 2011