Foreign Terrorists Abandoning Iraq?

In the wake of the successful Iraqi elections, bluefinger Iraqi civilians are turning in insurgents and fearlessly facing them down and killing them. Despite Abu Musab Zarqawi's dire threats and declared "war" on the Iraq vote in particular and democracy in general, Iraqis defied him and the former Baathists to vote in greater numbers than conventional wisdom expected.

All this indicates new pressure on foreign terrorists, and especially their leaders, to shift operations to more hospitable climes. Concomitant with the run-up to the Iraqi vote have been reports out of Kuwait of increasing terrorist activity, including a large al-Qaeda cell disrupted by Kuwaiti police in a series of running battles. Under questioning, captured cell members admitted not only that they planned to kidnap, videotape, and murder American troops and civilians, but that they were receiving orders from "armed terrorist groups in Iraq".

Kuwait, adjacent to Iraq, is a logical land escape route for terrorist leaders. Kuwait has warned other Gulf States that terrorist activity may spread to them. Pressure from US and Iraqi forces and bluefinger civilians may be forcing the rats to seek new havens.