Al Qaeda is getting weaker -- which makes its affiliates more dangerous

Intelligence officials tell NPR that in 2009, the Obama administration killed more senior al-Qaida leaders in drone attacks in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan than the Bush administration did in the three years prior. And officials say it’s had a telling impact on how the group is communicating, raising money and planning operations — it’s having trouble doing all three…

In 2002, the number of al-Qaida franchises could be counted on less than one hand. Now they can be counted on two, and have set up operations around the world — from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan to al-Shabab in Somalia. That’s partly the reason for the increase in terrorism cases in the U.S., experts say. Al-Qaida’s outsourcing has led to a lot more groups angling to launch an attack, seeking recruits and hoping to find weaknesses in America’s defenses…

Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University, says al-Qaida has learned from its 2002 experience. Core al-Qaida is not just asking affiliates to pick up the slack, it is actually sending some of its most trusted and skilled operatives to help these splinter groups train. The CIA attack in Khost could fit that mold.

“In essence, these operatives are being sent out as force multipliers, to plus up or strengthen or to enhance the capabilities of local and region allies,” says Hoffman. He believes they are attempting to “overwhelm the U.S. and other enemies with a strategy that amounts to death by 1,000 cuts.”