PESHAWAR: A US drone fired missiles at a vehicle in Pakistan’s tribal South Waziristan region on Saturday, killing at least one man suspected to be an al Qaeda-linked foreign militant, officials said.

Officials said missiles from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hit the car of a Yemeni al Qaeda-linked fighter  known as Abdul Rehman al-Zaman Yemeni in Shin Warsak area, about 10km west of Wana, the main town in restive South Waziristan agency.

The vehicle was destroyed, killing the foreign militant, he confirmed.

The area of the attack was very close to where a drone had fired missile on another vehicle on Thursday. Three people were killed and one injured in the attack, including an Arab national, sources had initially reported.

However, another official today claimed an Arab national killed in the drone strike on Thursday was known as Sheikh Abdul Bari, an al Qaeda linked operative.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

South Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown and foreign insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and al Qaeda operatives.

The tribal region was once the main stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. The military launched a large offensive against militants there in 2009, but insurgents still operate in the area and periodically stage attacks.

Reliable casualty figures are difficult to acquire in the tribal areas, which are largely off-limits to reporters, because of security worries and government restrictions.