Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- The U.S. government has confirmed the killing of al Qaeda operational commander Ilyas Kashmiri , the prime minister of Pakistan said Monday . `` The U.S. has confirmed that Ilyas Kashmiri was killed on Friday , '' said Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at a Monday press conference in Quetta , the capital of the country 's southwestern province of Balochistan . Gilani did not explain how he knew the United States had confirmed the death of the man described by counterterrorism officials as al Qaeda 's `` military brain . '' A spokesman for Kashmiri 's jihadist group , Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami , previously said Kashmiri was killed , along with some aides , in a strike late Friday night . Kashmiri 's death is the first major kill or capture since Osama Bin Laden , and the highest profile drone target since Beitullah Mehsud in 2009 . It could also be seen as an embarrassment for Pakistanis , who have twice in just over one month , had a major al Qaeda figure killed on their territory without their participation . U.S. drones now operate entirely autonomously in Pakistan , a Pakistani intelligence source has told CNN . Whereas before the United States cooperated with Pakistan and used their intelligence , today , the Americans have an intelligence network that allows them to go after terrorists unilaterally . Kashmiri , a veteran jihadist , was considered one of the most dangerous men in the world by counterterrorism officials on three continents . He was commander of `` Brigade 313 '' of Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami , which has formed a close relationship with al Qaeda . Kashmiri was also said to have ties with David Coleman Headley , the U.S. citizen who confessed to helping scout targets for the Mumbai attack in November 2008 .
Kashmiri was seen at the location of the strike . Pakistan has not confirmed the death of Ilyas Kashmiri . Kashmiri 's followers say he was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan . He is considered one of the most dangerous men in the world .