Meanwhile, the New York Times reports the Pentagon drafted a secret plan to make it easier for the Pentagon’s Special Operations to launch missions against al-Qaeda inside Pakistan. But the plan known as Operation Cannonball has never been implemented, in part because of fears of alienating Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. The Times also reports that the war in Iraq consistently diverted resources and high-level attention from the tribal areas. When American military and intelligence officials requested additional Predator drones to survey the tribal areas, they were told no drones were available because they had been sent to Iraq.