The more we think about the CIA network in Pakistan, especially in the FATA region, the less we know. We really don't know what is really going on in the FATA, & the corresponding provinces in Afghanistan, in terms of intelligence gathering from the CIA, ISI & other intelligence agencies. How strong is the CIA network in Pakistan? Who is giving out the drone strike targets to the US Forces? The ISI is supposed to be a 'state within a state', yet, there seems to be an assumption that the CIA has enhanced its network inside Pakistan (in the FATA, as well as parts of Balochistan) beyond the oversight of the ISI. I was wondering how much of it is true. The ISI is regarded as a 'silent force', the 'silent assassin'. With not even a website, it prefers to remain in the shadows in Pakistan, overseeing every activity inside Pakistan. In that sense, the CIA is much more "out there" in the eyes of the world than the ISI is. Yet, there seems to be a contradiction that suggests that it is not able to oversee everything inside Pakistan: the Osama bin Laden raid suggests this, & the subsequent arrests of CIA informers after that. And with the government about to issue a few dozen visas to CIA agents, it seems as if the ISI's "authority" inside the country might be "compromised", & it might not act with the same levels of impunity as before. How much does the CIA know about the militant networks in the FATA regions, & how to establish communication with them? Very intriguing questions, & there are no clear answers for any of them.