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"Are we reaching a tipping point to witness the decline of this radical behaviour. We don't know the answer to that yet, but we're watching it very closely," National Intelligence Director Admiral Mike McConnell told the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
"Brutal attacks unleashed by al-Qaida and the other al- Qaida affiliates against Muslim civilians have tarnished al- Qaida's self-styled image as the extremist vanguard," he said.
McConnell and Central Intelligence Agency Director General Michael Hayden cited falling donations and criticism of al-Qaida by other fundamentalists as indicative of the shifting of opinion against the group.
"In the last year to 18 months, al-Qaida has had difficulty in fund-raising and sustaining themselves," McConnell said, while Hayden said there seems to be increasing willingness in the Islamic world to question al-Qaida's vision.
McConnell also said hundreds of al-Qaida's leadership, operational, media, financial, logistics, weapons, and even their foreign fighter facilitators have been "neutralised" in recent years, but added that the terrorist group remains a prominent threat to the US.
"Despite our successes over the years, the group has been able to regenerate many of its key capabilities, and that includes the top leadership, operational lieutenants, and, most importantly, a de facto safe haven in Pakistan's border area with Afghanistan, known as the FATA," he said.
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