White House: US determined to destroy al-Qaida

[May 03, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan says U.S officials hope to build on the killing of Osama bin Laden to destroy the al-Qaida terrorist organization.

Brennan tells NBC's "Today" show the Obama administration is determined "to pummel the rest of al-Qaida." He said the organization already has suffered "severe body blows."

He also said in Tuesday's interview that "clearly there was some kind of support network" for bin Laden inside Pakistan. Brennan declined to blame the Pakistani government for that, calling Islamabad "a strong counterterrorism partner." But he also said the Pakistani government is conducting its own investigation into how bin Laden dodged authorities for so long. Brennan said it is "unknown at this point" whether individuals inside the Pakistani government were helping bin Laden.

[Associated Press]

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