al-Qaida US heading for point when 'military pursuit of al-Qaida should end'

[Geee]

UK Guardian:

The US is heading for a "tipping point" beyond which it should no longer pursue al-Qaida terrorists by military means, one of the Obama administration's most senior lawyers has said.

Jeh Johnson suggested the group would become so degraded that a time would come when the legal authority given to the White House by Congress should no longer be used to justify waging the war that has been fought since 2001.

Johnson said that when this happened, America had to "be able to say ... that our efforts should no longer be considered an armed conflict against al-Qaida and its affiliates".

Instead, the responsibility for tackling al-Qaida should pass to the police and other law enforcement agencies.