Washington, Dec.12 (ANI): A top Al-Qaeda commander, Abu Yahyaa-al-Libi, was killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan earlier this week, American officials have claimed.

According to reports, Libi, who had one million dollar bounty on his head, was killed on Tuesday.

However, there is no official confirmation of the report by Pakistani government officials. Local Taliban leaders have also denied any missile strike in the region.

Libi, a key Qaeda commander, is believed to be a close aide of Osama-bin-Laden, and had fled from a US detention facility in Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in 2005.

Earlier, US officials had said that a top Al-Qaeda commander was killed in a drone strike in South Waziristan’s Ladha region.

Fox news reported that neither Al-Qaeda chief Osama-bin-Laden or his Egyptian second man in command Ayman al-Zawahiri were among those killed in the attack.

Pakistani officials, however, had denied any such missile strike in the region.

“No predator drone strike has taken place today,” a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had stated.

Sources said the strike was part of the expanded use of Predator drones recently authorized by the Obama administration.

Over 40 such strikes carried out by unmanned US aircrafts have killed over 100 militants in the region, which Pakistan claims is proving counterproductive in its war on terror.

While the CIA considers the attacks highly successful and claims that more than half of the 20 most wanted Al Qaeda suspects have been killed in such attacks, they have also inflamed anti-American sentiments in Pakistan over killing hundreds of civilians. (ANI)