WASHINGTON  A missile fired this week by a Central Intelligence Agency drone over Pakistan’s tribal regions killed a top operations planner for Al Qaeda, American counterterrorism officials said Friday.

An American intelligence official said there were “strong indications” that a drone strike this week killed Saleh al-Somali, a member of Al Qaeda’s inner circle who was taking refuge in the mountainous tribal belt in western Pakistan. The report came amid a swirl of conflicting information about recent C.I.A. strikes in Pakistan, which have grown so frequent that several may occur in the same day.

Pakistani officials said a drone strike this week killed another top Qaeda operative, Abu Yahya al-Libi, but American officials disputed that claim. Mr. Libi has emerged as one of the terror network’s rising figures by posting dozens of radical videos on militants’ Web sites, and the rumors of his death spread through jihadi Internet forums.

The Obama administration in recent weeks has approved a C.I.A. plan to expand clandestine operations inside Pakistan, including the number of drone aircraft in the country and flying them over a wider territory. The plan is awaiting approval by Pakistan’s government.