Is Maj. Gen Caldwell telling the truth?

There may be nothing here, we may have captured a year's worth of Al Qaeda in September, (a resounding success,) but these numbers jump out at me. (Maj. Gen Caldwell is the US military spokesman in Iraq.)

First: Christian Science Monitor Oct 3, edition.

Between 50 and 70 foreign fighters sneak over the border into Iraq every month, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, chief US military spokesman in Iraq, said last week.....

Between January and mid-September, US or Iraqi government forces captured some 630 foreign fighters, according to General Caldwell.

Those numbers jumped out at me, from January to mid-September, 630 captured. Now, let's jump to this morning's briefing.

He also said that Iraqi and U.S. forces had killed more than 110 al Qaeda militants in September and detained more than 520....

Either almost all those captures in the first quote occurred in the first two weeks of September, the second half of September was overwhelming, or one of these statements is false. I find the first hard to believe because of all the arrests following the Zarqawi killing.

The first answer appears to have been given after a question on the NIE finding that Iraq is creating terrorists, so a low number would make a better answer. The second statement appears to have followed a question similar to, "but what are you doing about the violence?"

Two different political needs, two different answers?

I recognize this is a small point in the grand scheme, and it is certainly possible that both statements somehow mesh together, but I think this captures how "metrics" are being used.