[cripplecreek]

In a move that has been puzzling intelligence agencies, al Qaeda has been withdrawing well-trained Arab fighters from the mountains and battlefields of Afghanistan.

Could be that they're simply losing and retreating.

[bill1952]

You beat me to it again, CC. :)

Personally, I wouldn't go without insurance in that area, were I in their position.

If you can even get a policy insuring against death by predator.

[rfp1234]

-In a move that has been puzzling intelligence agencies, al Qaeda has been withdrawing well-trained Arab fighters from the mountains and battlefields of Afghanistan.-

Are these the same 10,000 fighters that Zarqawi's successor in Iraq just boasted about?

http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2006/11/10/iraq-al-qaeda-chief-says-democrat-victory-a-step-in-right-direction/

[PghBaldy]

That is a possibility, the other is they are actually planning attacks for very soon. Some of those who returned to their native countries in the Arab world and were caught have told investigators that the orders only specified al Qaeda's decision for the Arabs to depart Afghanistan. The thing is, there are so many data points, it is hard to know what exactly is important, until often after the fact. Could this be predictive like the attack on Masoud, right before 9/11?