One more person, unidentified so far, also died and four children of Mehsud's brother in law were critically wounded.

Mohammad Iqbal Mehsud, a cousin of Mehsud's dead wife said the Taliban leader was not present in the house when the strike took place. But the Taliban refused to comment on the reports.

The presumed US drone strike came as Pakistani security forces were gearing up for a major offensive against Mehsud, who is blamed for dozens of terrorist attacks across the country.

Washington has also announced a $5-million reward for information leading to his arrest or death.