Media reports described Mansoor as al-Qaeda's chief in Pakistan. He was a key target for the US and was wanted for several attacks. This was the second drone attack since yesterday, when 10 militants were killed in a strike near Miranshah. Pakistani Taliban militants had begun hiding in buildings they had rented in Miranshah, officials were quoted as saying.

Mansoor, who served as a conduit between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, reportedly ran a training camp in North Waziristan, from where he sent militants to Afghanistan. Mansoor belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province and had close links with the Punjabi Taliban.