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U.S. faces "credible but unconfirmed" threat from al Qaeda - Clinton

10 September 2011 01:53 (UTC +04:00)

Clinton said her meeting with the audience was taking place after a recent "credible but unconfirmed report that al Qaeda again is seeking to harm Americans and, in particular, to target New York and Washington."

She said that after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States "Americans pledged to do everything" in their power "to prevent another attack and to defeat the terrorists responsible."

"Ten years later, we have made important strides. Our government is better organized. Our defenses are safer than on 9/11. But we still face real threats, as we see today, and there is more work to be done," Clinton said.

"The United States has thrived as an open society, a principled nation, and a global leader," the state secretary said, adding that the Americans "cannot and will not live in fear, sacrifice our values, or pull back from the world."

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that left about 3,000 people dead, was killed on May 2 in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, north of the capital Islamabad, during a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs.