A hushed silence has descended on the terror groups in their hotbed in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt close to Afghanistan after the slaying of the world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden, with US intelligence saying that militant chatter lines had gone dead.
Though Taliban discounted reports of his killing at the hands of US special forces deep inside Pakistan's heartland, the Al Qaeda in Arab Peninsula confirmed his death, but most of the frontline terror groups maintained a "deathly silence".
US officials believe that the Al Qaeda No 2 Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri would attempt to take over the reins of the dreaded terror outfit, but would have difficulties in maintaining the loyalties of bin Laden's large followers.
Al Zawahiri was almost a shadow of bin Laden till their close brush with death on Tora Bora mountains ten years ago, but US intelligence believe they separated so as not to offer a joint target to the Americans hunting for them.
The sudden killing of bin Laden comes at a time when fissures are reported among the terror groups with Taliban leader Mullah Omar and the Haqqani network trying to rein in the Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud.
US official say that the terror scene has become more complicated with powerful groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed gaining a foothold in the tribal areas.
"As the only al Qaeda leader whose authority was universally respected, he also maintained his cohesion, and his likely successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is far less charismatic and not as well respected within the organisation, according to comments from several captured Al Qaeda leaders. He probably will have difficulty maintaining the loyalty of bin Laden's largely Gulf Arab followers," a senior administration official said.
Officials said there is no doubt that the death of Osama bin Laden marks the single greatest victory in the US-led campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat Al Qaeda. It is a major and essential step in bringing about Al Qaeda's eventual destruction, the official said.
Bin Laden was Al Qaeda's only commander in its 22-year history, and largely responsible for its mystique, its attraction among violent jihadists, and its focus on America as a terror target.
Although al Qaeda may not fragment immediately, the loss of bin Laden puts the group on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse, the official noted.
It's important to note that it is most fitting that bin Laden's death comes at a time of great movement towards freedom and democracy that is sweeping the Arab world, officials noted.
"He stood in direct opposition to what the greatest men and women throughout the Middle East and North Africa are risking their lives for: individual rights and human dignity," he said.
