I see that the Washington Post is reporting that we have basically killed everyone in al-Qaeda of any consequence. They’re supposedly down to two leaders, one of whom isn’t popular. At least, this is supposedly true for the original organization that was based in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They tell us that we still have to worry about al-Qaeda cells in Yemen.
Interestingly, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has signed an agreement to step down from power.
Mr Saleh signed the agreement in the presence of Saudi King Abdullah and other senior Saudi officials after flying to Riyadh on Wednesday morning.
Under the plan, the president will hand over power to deputy Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in return for immunity from prosecution.
Mr Hadi is then expected to form a national unity government and also call for early presidential elections within 90 days.
The deal envisages that Mr Saleh will remain an honorary president for three months after signing the agreement.
In Riyadh, Mr Saleh pledged to co-operate with the new government which would include the opposition.
He also called on all Yemenis to be partners in rebuilding the conflict-torn country.
With any luck, the move will divert Yemeni energies away from anti-Western terrorism and towards domestic tussles for influence, power, and accountability.
What will happen to the Pentagon’s budget if announce we’ve destroyed al-Qaeda?