The Obama administration is intensifying its secretive bombing campaign in Yemen in the absence of wounded Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The New York Times reports the United States is exploiting Saleh’s departure for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia to increase drone and fighter jet strikes against militant targets. Last week U.S. warplanes killed a prominent al-Qaeda operative along with a number of other militants in southern Yemen. Witnesses report four civilians were also killed. The Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command is heading the covert campaign along with the CIA. The intensified strikes come as conditions for Yemeni residents continue to worsen. The U.N.’s World Food Program reports food prices in the country have doubled since last year, causing significant numbers to go hungry. Meanwhile, opposition leaders have called for the creation of a presidential council to lead a transition in Saleh’s absence. Saleh fled to Saudi Arabia after being wounded in an attack on his compound last week.