Da un articolo del Washington Post:

"Despite being weakened by the pressure of U.S. and other forces, al-Qaida remains the main terror menace facing the United States, the State Department says.

At the same time, however, lesser-known terror operations, some affiliated with al-Qaida, others merely inspired by its goals, are taking up some of the slack as Osama bin Laden’s network loses central leadership and foot soldiers, the department said in its first "Country Reports on Terrorism."

"There is a declining role for a significantly degraded al-Qaida and a rising role for groups inspired by al-Qaida," State Department counsel Philip D. Zelikow said Wednesday at a briefing on the document.

The country reports especially credited Pakistan for its work in curtailing the effectiveness of al-Qaida.

"Al-Qaida leadership was degraded through arrests and ongoing Pakistani operations to assert greater control along the border with Afghanistan where some al-Qaida leaders are believed to hide," the report said. "Numerous al-Qaida and affiliated foot soldiers were captured or killed during the year."

Still, it said, "many senior al-Qaida leaders remained at large, continued to plan attacks against the United States, U.S. interests and U.S. partners."

Additionally, the fugitives "sought to foment attacks by inspiring new groups of Sunni Muslim extremists to undertake violent acts in the name of jihad," it said.