One of the most feared operational commanders for al Qaeda was killed during a U.S. drone missile strike in Pakistan, according to a fax from the militant group he heads and a Pakistani intelligence official.

Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, 47, is believed to be responsible for numerous high-profile attacks on Western nations. According to Pakistani officials, nine other militants also died during Friday's drone assault.

In addition to being a senior al Qaeda operative, Kashmiri also headed the militant group Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami  (HUJI). The group has been credited with masterminding March 2006 suicide bombing of the U.S. consulate in the Pakistan city of Karachi that left four people dead and 48 injured.

Kashmiri has also been blamed for the 2008 Mumbai massacre.

The death of the man labeled "specially designated global terrorist," was an intelligence coup for the U.S.  State Department officials had offered a $5 million reward to anyone who could provide information on the whereabouts.

"God willing ... America will very soon see our full revenge. Our only target is America," HUJI spokesman Abu Hanzla Kashir said in a statement faxed to a Pakistani television station.

Kashmiri's death has not yet been publicly confirmed by U.S. or Pakistan officials.