Al-Qaida admits US drones pressure

A purported al-Qaida leader in Pakistan has said the terror network is losing territory and fighters amid a US drone strike campaign, according to an audio message monitored by a US organisation that tracks militant propaganda.

The rare admission by Ustadh Ahmad Farooq follows an escalation in US missile strikes against al-Qaida and Taliban targets in the tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan, as well as increased Pakistani army operations over the last three years.