One of the most wanted terrorist leaders in Pakistan is dead, killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike.
Pakistani intelligence sources Saturday said that senior al-Qaida leader Ilyas Kashmiri died in an attack on a location in South Waziristan, along with eight other militants.
Kashmiri's own militant group, Harakat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI), also confirmed his death in a fax to news organizations. HUJI said Kashmiri was "martyred" on Friday.
The United States had designated Kashmiri a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." It had put up a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The U.S. blames the group for the March 2006 bombing of the U.S. consulate in Karachi that killed four people and wounded 48 others. A U.S. grand jury indicted Kashmiri in 2010 in connection with a plot to attack a Danish newspaper.
HUJI vowed to take revenge against the U.S. for Kashmiri's death. His killing comes about a month after U.S. special forces entered Pakistan and killed al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden in his hideout near Islamabad.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
