Al-Qaida in Iraq is 'devastated'

Top US officer: Al-Qaida in Iraq is 'devastated' By ROBERT BURNS The Associated Press Sunday, June 6, 2010; 3:49 PM ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. -- The top U.S. military officer says that a string of setbacks for al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq has left the insurgent group "devastated" and struggling. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said Sunday that leadership vacuums and a money squeeze have put a double whammy on the group. Mullen says he is encouraged by gains made against al-Qaida in operations carried out jointly by U.S. and Iraqi military forces. He says that makes it more likely the Iraqi government will be able to handle what remains of al-Qaida's capability to launch terror strikes once U.S. troops leave next year. The Joint Chiefs chairman adds that he can't estimate how much longer al-Qaida will remain a factor inside Iraq.