A man described by counterterrorism officials as al Qaeda’s “military brain,” Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a drone strike Friday night in Pakistan at 11:15 p.m. Friday. The US drone attack targeted a compound in the Ghwakhwa area of South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold.

The statement came from Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami spokesman Abu Hanzla Kashar.

Ilyas Kashmiri was considered a possible successor to Osama Bin Laden as head of al-Qaeda.

A Pakistan state television report stated Hakimullah Mehsud had been injured in a drone attack in the Shaktoi area January 14 and died three days later. His burial was reported in the village of Mamuzai in the North Waziristan region.

The Pakistani Taliban on Sunday denied rumors that their chief Hakimullah Mehsud is dead.

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