rupees ($6,000) compensation per vehicle would be paid to the truck owners by NATO subcontractors for being out of work for seven months because of the blockade according to Rana Mohammad Aslam, vice-president of the All Pakistan Goods Carrier Association. Shamsi airfield vacated On 26 November, the same day the incident occurred, Pakistan ordered the US to shut down and vacate the Shamsi Airfield in the southwestern Balochistan province within a deadline of 15 days. US forces and the Central Intelligence Agency had reportedly leased this airbase in 2001 for joint surveillance and launching drone attacks against militants in Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. The Shamsi airbase was the only military base in Pakistan being used by the United States, and orders of its evacuation by US personnel symbolised an increasing rift and deterioration in relations between Pakistan and the United States. In early December, the US military personnel occupying the base, along with all military equipment, were shifted to the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan via US military aircraft. On 10 December, Pakistani troops from the Frontier Corps took full control of the airfield as scheduled, and by 11 December all remaining American staff were evacuated. Upon establishing control of the airfield, the United States flag was removed from the base and replaced with the flag of Pakistan. The impact of the closure has been questioned, as the United States still has the ability to conduct drone attacks from nearby bases in Afghanistan, and according to the Pakistani military, the base was used mainly for refuelling and maintenance of drones, as well as for emergency landings and logistical support, and not for conducting actual drone operations which had in fact ceased in April 2011. Following the incident, Pakistan stated its intention to shoot down any future US drones intruding on its airspace, and the US suspended drone operations to avoid antagonising Pakistan. One report said that American drone attacks in Pakistan dropped by as much as 50% due to the Salala attack, as well as legal cases. United States exit strategy Among the immediate repercussions of the incident was that the United States' attempts to end the war in Afghanistan peacefully were put in jeopardy. Some Pakistani officials warned that the attack could have "huge implications" for the Afghan endgame. Pakistan, which is designated as a major non-NATO ally by the United States and is seen as a key facilitator