"The loss of bin Laden and these other key operatives puts the network on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse," the State Department said in its annual "Country Reports on Terrorism" document, which covers calendar year 2011.
SEALs and drones have decimated al Qaeda's leadership and wrecked al Qaeda Prime.
And let's not forget all the jihadis we killed during the Iraq campaign.
Gosh, remember when Nuanced Americans told us that killing terrorists "just makes more terrorists"?
I sure remember. I hope this kills that always-silly advice about killing enemies.
UPDATE: Lest you forget the impact of the Iraq War:
Al Qaeda's Iraqi wing, Islamic State of Iraq, was badly weakened by the loss of top commanders in the war against U.S. troops, but the insurgents have carried out at least one major assault a month since the U.S. withdrawal in December.
The war has been largely won, but it is not ended. It's just that the Iraqis are fighting it without our direct help. Which is what I said we needed to do way back in 2003.
As long as someone is killing jihadis, we make progress.
