Kissinger - War unlikely to have clear end point

CLAYTON, Mo. -- The so-called "war on terrorism" is unlikely ever to have a definite end, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said Thursday.

The best the United States and its allies can hope for is to cripple the ability of terrorist groups to coordinate and inflict harm on innocent people, thus reducing them to small criminal bands, Kissinger said.

"I don't think there will be a clear-cut point in the near future when you can say the war is over," said Kissinger, who served during the Nixon and Ford administrations.

Kissinger was in St. Louis as part of a speakers series hosted by Maryville University. His comments came during an interview with a handful of reporters Thursday.

He said that in principle he supports the idea of military-style tribunals if the United States is able to capture those it suspects of being responsible for various terrorist attacks.