Osama death: Al-Qaeda down but not out, says former Oz foreign minister

Melbourne, May 2 (ANI): Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer has said that while Al-Qaeda is down, it is not completely out following the death of terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden.

Downer accepted that the terrorist organisation had been substantially degraded over the past decade and added that its capacity to mount major terror attacks had been enormously diminished.

He said the death of bin Laden was a terrible setback in terms of morale and recruitment capability.

"The inspiration of the movement was Osama bin Laden and now he's dead," he told ABC television.

He added: "It's not the end of al-Qaeda. I think al-Qaeda will exist indefinitely. There will always be a handful of people who subscribe to that extremist ideology."

Downer said the death of bin Laden would be a big boost for US President Barack Obama, considerably boosting his re-election prospects. (ANI)