They say the commander, Maulvi Nazir, was reportedly among nine people killed in the first strike in the village of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Residents in both Angoor Adda and Wana, the biggest town in South Waziristan, said they heard announcements on mosque loudspeakers announcing Nazir's death.
Reports of individual deaths are difficult to verify independently, and the US rarely comments on its secretive drone program.