WASHINGTON (AFP): US President Donald Trump has declared that Hamza bin Laden, the son Osama bin Laden, was killed in a counter-terrorism operation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
In early August, it was reported by the US media that the younger Bin Laden had been killed sometime in the last two years in an operation that involved the United States.
Secretary of Defence Mark Esper confirmed the death last month, saying it was his understanding that Bin Laden was dead, but Trump and other senior officials had not publicly confirmed the news.
Donald Trump said in a brief statement issued by the White House, “Hamza bin Laden, the high-ranking Al Qaeda member, and son of Osama bin Laden, was killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.”
Also read: Son of Osama bin Laden declared dead: US officials
The US president added, “The loss of Hamza bin Laden not only deprives Al Qaeda of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father but undermines important operational activities of the group.”
The State Department announced a $1 million bounty on hamza bin Laden’s head earlier in February 2019
Hamza bin Laden, thought to be about 30 years old, was emerging as a leader in the Al Qaeda franchise. In 2017, Hamza was placed on the US terror blacklist.
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