US President Barack Obama declared yesterday that the Al-Qaeda network is nearing total defeat, having failed to destroy the United States' 'unique' leadership role in the world.

In an op-ed for the French daily Le Figaro penned to mark the 10th anniversary of the Islamist extremist group's September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, Mr Obama thanked America's allies and vowed to cooperate with them closely.

'Those who attacked us on 9/11 wanted to drive a wedge between the United States and the world. They failed. On this 10th anniversary, we are united with our friends and partners in remembering all those we have lost in this struggle,' he said.

'Working together, we have disrupted Al-Qaeda plots, eliminated Osama Bin Laden and much of his leadership and put Al-Qaeda on the path to defeat,' he said, welcoming the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.

'Meanwhile, people across the Middle East and North Africa are showing that the surest path to justice and dignity is the moral force of nonviolence, not mindless terrorism and violence,' Mr Obama added.

'It is clear that violent extremists are being left behind and that the future belongs to those who want to build, not destroy.'

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