Friends of mine who are in Iraq tell me that a large number of failed terrorists (who had attempted to set up IEDs, perform car bombs that didnt go off and were apprehended, etc) are foreigners. Saudis, Syrians, Egyptians, even a few Chechens. This is not reported at all by the media, because it would not serve the myth that the Iraqi people are rising up against us.
I've heard the exact same thing. Reporting 4000 AQ killed in Iraq (as AQ declared today) should come with shock and awe to those who haven't been reporting it. The Brookings Inst Iraq Index has a breakdown that shows it well.
The fact is that almost 80% of the deaths in Iraq come from suicide bombers, and almost 80% of them are foreigners affiliated with AQ.
Somehow editors and producers don't see that as "the story" deserving reporting. Instead we get Amber Alerts, blondes missing in Bermuda or wherever, and so forth.