US missiles on Friday killed a senior commander in the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, wanted for kidnappings and sending hundreds of foreign fighters into Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said.
Mullah Sangeen Zadran, blacklisted as a terrorist by the United Nations and United States, was among six fighters killed in a drone strike in the tribal district of North Waziristan.
Two Pakistani intelligence officials, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, confirmed his death and said an Arab fighter was also among the dead.
Pakistani officials said the US drone fired two missiles, destroying a compound overnight in Dargah Mandi, a Haqqani stronghold about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Miranshah.
In 2011, the US State Department described Zardan as shadow governor of Paktika, one of the most volatile Afghan provinces on the Pakistani border and as a lieutenant of Haqqani leader Sirajuddin Haqqani.
It said Zadran led fighters in attacks across southeastern Afghanistan, and was believed to have planned and coordinated the movement of hundreds of foreign fighters into Afghanistan.
He was also connected to roadside bombings and was believed to have orchestrated the kidnappings of Afghans and foreigners in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
