US drone strikes killed a prominent warlord who sent insurgents to fight NATO troops in Afghanistan along with nine other militants in Pakistan's tribal belt, local officials said on Thursday.

Mullah Nazir was the main militant commander in South Waziristan, part of the tribal zone where militants linked to the Taliban and al-Qaida have bases on the Afghan border. He is one of the highest-profile drone victims in recent years.

Pakistani officials said an unmanned US aircraft fired two missiles at his vehicle in the Sar Kanda area of Birmil in South Waziristan, killing Nazir and five of his loyalists, including two senior deputies.