(Previous Incident Code: Ob53 )

Two or three alleged militants were killed and up to four were injured in a drone strike that several sources said took place in the morning, although one report put it at 7.45pm. The car was parked outside a residential compound when it was struck, Dawn reported. ‘We saw a vehicle engulfed in flames after the missile strike,’ a tribesman told AFP. ‘It was difficult to go close to the vehicle as it was surrounded by militants, who later removed dead bodies from the wreckage.’ Drones continued to fly over the area, the Daily Times reported. The attack marked one of multiple strikes as the CIA lashed out in the wake of the Khost suicide bombing. An Obama administration security official reportedly said:

In the aftermath of Khost, political sensitivities were no longer a reason not to do something. The shackles were unleashed.  (The Triple Agent)

The coming year saw a drastic increase in strikes. ‘The CIA went to war,’ a former administration official, who added: ‘The White House stood back.’