Who's On The Verge Of Defeat?

Labeled MAP, the only one included with this AP story datelined Washington and hosted by Google. What country is missing from the picture?

Some official pronouncements cry out to be parsed. This is one of them.

Al-Qaida's No. 2 reported killed by US in Pakistan 

by Matt Apuzzo of Associated P-word

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Pakistani officials said Saturday that al-Qaida's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat. (emphasis mine)

Spinning the war as rock 'em sock 'em robots,  the writer goes on to report (i.e. repeat from a government news release) that U.S. forces believe al-Qaida is shaky since Osama bin Laden was captured. Something about his use of the phrase "unusually frank" makes me feel like I'm reading the Onion, as in: 

... the Obama administration has been unusually frank in its assessment that al-Qaida is on the ropes, its leadership in disarray.

But did the insurgency crumble once bin Laden was reported to have been executed? Hardly.

Senior al-Qaida figures have been killed before, only to be replaced. 

No kidding. Maybe because NATO and the CIA are creating terrorists by the cartloads with civilian bombing and night raids?

But the Obama administration's tenor reflects a cautious optimism that victory in the decade-long fight against al-Qaida could be at hand...Since bin Laden's death, counterterrorism officials have hoped to capitalize on al-Qaida's unsettled leadership. The more uncertain the structure, the harder it is for al-Qaida to operate covertly and plan attacks.

Thus the drone strikes in Pakistan week after week, month after month, year after year unto a decade. It's all justified, see? We have them on the run. Trust us. Go back to your MAP.

Don't look at any photos like this because we have it all under control.