Osama's death or capture just months away: ExpertIndia News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The cornered and weakened Osama bin Laden is just months away from being captured or killed, a terrorism expert has predicted. The Daily Star quoted Al-Qaida expert Peter Bergen as saying: "Bin Laden will be captured or killed." According to experts, the 52-year-old al-Qaida chief is on the run with less power than ever before. "Laden is trapped in the mountains of Pakistan's tribal areas. He is stripped of any power, unable to communicate on the phone for fear of being overheard by US eavesdroppers and he is forever on the run," experts were quoted by the report, as saying. Drone attacks have already killed Bin Laden's many key allies. About 500 terrorists, including a series of key lieutenants, were killed in 56 predator attacks. Khalid Habib, the group's military chief, rising star Abu Layth al-Libi, explosives and chemical warfare expert Abu Khabab al-Masri and attack planner Usama al-Kini have been killed. Atlantic airline bombing plotter Rashid Rauf was allegedly killed in a drone attack, as was Pakistan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. Al-Qaida's propaganda arm seems to have been drowned by internal feuds and suspicion, since many of its websites are often offline. America's Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said: "Al-Qaida today is less capable and effective than it was a year ago. In Pakistan's FATA, al-Qaida has lost significant parts of its command structure in a succession of damaging blows. "We are more aggressive and the ability to be more aggressive is founded on the larger and more sophisticated understanding of the adversary that we have gained."