Bin Laden's death may weaken al-Qaida
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The death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has prompted some Egyptian analysts to believe the terrorist network, a target of global anti-terrorism efforts, may weaken in the long run despite an expected possible increase of revengeful attacks in the near future.
"Bin Laden's death is definitely a great loss to al-Qaida," Mustafa Saif, a professor of political science at Cairo University, told Xinhua.
"To choose a new leader with the same financial, leadership and operational abilities as bin Laden will not be an easy thing," he said.
Symbolically, its branches in Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan might suffer from his death and they need to take some time to reorganize themselves, according to the analyst.
Bin Laden, believed as the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks which killed about 3,000 people on the U.S. soil, was killed in a pre-dawn U.S. special force raid on his compound in Pakistani city of Abbottabad near the capital Islamabad.
Bin Laden had been the leader of al-Qaida for years. "His death does not mean terrorism will disappear tomorrow," said Saif.
There is a high possibility of revenge by its branches to make up for his death, he said. "They would convey a message to the international community that al-Qaida does not belong to only bin Laden himself, it still exists."
The network will not be as strong as it used to be and who replaces him will determine its future, Saif said.
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