Obama calls al Qaeda 'shadow of former self'

Washington: US President Barack Obama says al Qaeda is a "shadow of its former self," and does not pose the kind of threat to America that requires tens of thousands of US troops to fight abroad.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the president said US troops will continue pursuing the remnants of al Qaeda in Afghanistan for a number of years.

He noted that various al Qaeda affiliates have emerged elsewhere in the world in recent years, including in Yemen and Somalia. Instead of sending large numbers of US troops to fight there, he said, the US aim will be to help those countries provide their own security and to help allies fight al Qaeda, as the French have done in the African nation of Mali.