Is Al Qaeda On the Ropes In Yemen?

Pictured is Said al-Shihri, a commander in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, from a video posted on October 6, 2010.

Al Qaeda In Yemen: On The Ropes -- Peter Bergen and Jennifer Rowland, CNN

(CNN) -- On Wednesday, al Qaeda's virulent Yemeni affiliate which is known as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) confirmed the death of the group's deputy leader and co-founder, Saeed al-Shihri, in a video message posted to jihadist websites.

It was a confirmation of what was long suspected: that Shihri was killed in a U.S. drone strike several months ago. And it also amounted to a concession that the al Qaeda affiliate is under an enormous amount of pressure.

In the past three years more than 30 al Qaeda leaders and other senior operatives in Yemen have been killed by U.S. drone strikes, according to a count by the New America Foundation.

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My Comment: When many of your leaders and commanders are killed off .... it will impact your operations. Unfortunately .... Al Qaeda still has a base of support in Yemen, and as long as that exists Al Qaeda will be a threat .... albeit a diminished one.