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The new security hierarchy is trying to make up for lost time. Since the initial raid in May, Georgia's forces have nabbed, among others, Saif al Islam el Masry, a member of al-Qaeda's Shura, or consultative council. By late August, the jihadis had taken enough of a beating that their leaders ordered a retreat from the gorge. But the fight isn't over. The Georgians still can't account for perhaps as many as 30 Pankisi Arabs on their list. And one senior jihadi left in Georgia is Abu Iyad, a one-legged veteran of the Chechen war. In a recent battle with Georgian forces, he sacrificed four of his men to lure Georgian troops to one area while he headed in the opposite direction. "He's very cunning," says a senior border guard. He might have added "ruthless."