WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House announced Saturday that Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader who had become an increasingly prominent figure in the terrorist organization, was killed in a US counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
A statement issued in President Donald Trump’s name gave no further details, such as when Hamza bin Laden was killed or how the United States had confirmed his death. Administration officials would provide no more information beyond the three-sentence statement from the White House.
American officials have said there are indications that the Central Intelligence Agency, not the US military, conducted the strike. The CIA declined comment on whether or not the agency was involved.
The White House statement said Hamza bin Laden’s death “not only deprives al-Qaida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group.” It said Osama bin Laden’s son “was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.”
The US officials had suspected this summer that Hamza bin Laden was dead, based on intelligence reports and the fact that he had not been heard from in some time. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told Fox News Channel in a late August interview that it was “my understanding” that Hamza bin Laden was dead.
A US official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity about intelligence-gathering said Hamza bin laden was killed in the past 18 months. Confirming such a high-profile death can take a long time, said the official, who declined to say what led the US to report Hamza Bin Laden’s death with certainty.
