ISLAMABAD: A US drone attack that killed nine militants in South Waziristan targeted and killed top al Qaeda commander and chief of the Harkatul Jihad al-Islami (HJI) Ilyas Kashmiri, local officials said Saturday.

Moreover, an HJI spokesman confirmed that Kashmiri had been killed, DawnNews reported.

Kashmiri, 47, was considered one of the most feared operational commanders of the network that Osama bin Laden founded and has been blamed for a string of high-profile attacks on western targets, as well as in India and Pakistan.

The United States had put out a $5 million reward — the maximum for any most-wanted target — for any information that might help locate him.Readmore