The target of the attack was al-Qaeda operations planner Saleh al-Somali, the official said.

Al-Somali was responsible for the terror group's operations outside the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, reaching into activities in Africa. He is thought to have been involved in plotting attacks against the US and Europe, the US official said in Washington.

The drone attack took place on Tuesday. Officials had previously said a top al-Qaeda leader was killed, but had not released his identity.

Al-Somali was part of al Qaeda's "core leadership cadre" and plotted attacks globally, the official said. He also maintained connections to other Pakistan-based extremists and had been very involved in al-Qaeda's propaganda operations.

"There are strong indications that Saleh al-Somali, a senior al-Qaeda operations planner, has died," the official said. "He took strategic guidance from top leadership and translated it into operational blueprints for prospective terrorist attacks."

The strike was part of a stepped-up campaign using Predator drone aircraft against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan under US President Barack Obama.

The drones are equipped with infrared cameras and armed with precision-guided bombs ad Hellfire missiles.

Pakistan officially objects to the US strikes. It says they violate its sovereignty and stoke public anger, bolstering support for Islamists.

Reports out of Pakistan had earlier suggested that the senior figure killed in the attack was al-Qaeda number three Abu Yahya al-Libi.

Pakistani media reported that six militants were killed in the attack.