World 'safer' after al-Qaida battle

BRUSSELS / LONDON - A European Union anti-terrorism official claimed that the world has become a safer place after the decade-long worldwide battle against the al-Qaida terror network, which lost its leader Osama bin Laden earlier this year.

Gilles de Kerchove, EU counter-terrorism coordinator, said al-Qaida had lost popularity due to several factors, such as Osama bin Laden's death, the Arab uprisings, military operations in Afghanistan and international cooperation.

"Today an attack of the scale and sophistication of 9/11 is no longer possible," he said at a news conference late on Monday.