US drone attack kills al-Qaeda chief in Pak

Al-Qaeda's chief in Pakistan, who once fought in Jammu and Kashmir, was among four terrorists killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region on Thursday.

Badar Mansoor, a former commander of the banned Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant group that was active in Kashmir, was killed with three others when a spy plane fired two missiles at a compound in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal agency early this morning, officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.

Media reports described Mansoor as al-Qaeda's chief in Pakistan. He was a key target for the US and was wanted for several attacks. This was the second drone attack since yesterday, when 10 militants were killed in a strike near Miranshah. Pakistani Taliban militants had begun hiding in buildings they had rented in Miranshah, officials were quoted as saying.

Mansoor, who served as a conduit between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, reportedly ran a training camp in North Waziristan, from where he sent militants to Afghanistan. Mansoor belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province and had close links with the Punjabi Taliban.