US missiles on Thursday killed al Qaeda's chief in Pakistan, one of the Americans' main targets and wanted for attacks that killed scores of people, officials said. Badar Mansoor, who reputedly sent fighters to Afghanistan and ran a training camp in North Waziristan, was killed in a drone strike near the Afghan border, officials and a member of his group told AFP.
"He died in the missile attacks overnight in Miranshah. His death is a major blow to al Qaeda's abilities to strike in Pakistan," a senior official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. His death was confirmed by one of his loyalists. "Badar Mansoor was killed in the missile attack," a militant among his group confirmed by telephone. Intelligence officials in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, said Mansoor - whose first name is also sometimes spelled Badr - had been killed, but other officials were divided.