ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT:

Ominous drop in 'chatter' by terrorists (Straits Times, 8/08/04)

A DROP in so-called 'chatter' among suspected terrorists is raising concern among United States counter-terrorism officials, who noticed a similar fall in intercepted communications prior to the Sept 11 terror attacks.

US government sources told CNN that security experts are still trying to fathom the reason for the troubling ebb in recent days.

While there have been several similar quiet episodes in the past, the 'chatter' continued as before even after the mid-July arrest of key Al-Qaeda suspect Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan by Pakistani security forces, which was announced last week.