Barack Obama says al-Qaeda has been 'hammered' His remarks to 3,000 Marines at Camp Pendleton military base in California on Wednesday night came after about 20 US missions were shut in response to intelligence reports that an attack on US interests could be imminent. "Because of you, al-Qaeda's top ranks have been hammered," the American president told the troops. The core of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on the way to defeat. That happened because of you. Turning to the current threat, Mr Obama said information about a possible act of terror would have to be scrutinised and dealt with firmly. The end of the war in Afghanistan doesn't mean the end of threats to our nation. We've been reminded of this again in recent days," he said. So I want to take a special time out to salute all our brave diplomats and tireless intelligence and military personnel who have been working around the clock to safeguard our embassies and our consulates and our fellow Americans serving overseas. Analysts have suggested that the recent threats show al-Qaeda and its affiliates remain a global threat, despite frequent claims that they have lost their potency after a decade of conflict. Following the embassy closures, Yemen said Wednesday it had foiled an al-Qaeda plot to storm a Western-run oil terminal and seize a provincial capital. The United States has withdrawan diplomatic staff from Yemen. Mr Obama said "extremists" would not halt US policy overseas. "Here's what those who would cowardly attack our civilians don't get: The United States is never going to retreat from the world," he said. We don't get terrorized. We're going to keep standing up for our interests. Edited for telegraph.co.uk by Rob Crilly