Osama Bin Laden’s Son Killed In US Operation: White House

The Trump administration has claimed the death of Hamza bin Laden, a son of late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. 

According to the White House statement, he was killed in an operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. 

“The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al-Qa’ida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group,” the statement continues. 

“Hamza bin Ladin was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.” 

While no date was given for his death, rumors have been swirling since July 31, when the New York Times cited two anonymous officials who said that the US had played a role in the operation, “but it was not clear how.” 

Details of the strike that killed him were scarce, including when and where. The United States government played a role in the operation, but it was not clear how, according to the officials, who discussed his death on the condition of anonymity because it involved sensitive operations and intelligence gathering.

Mr. bin Laden was killed sometime during the first two years of the Trump administration, officials said. He was killed before the State Department announced a $1 million reward for information about his whereabouts in February, but American military and intelligence agencies had not confirmed his death by then. –New York Times

As the Times noted in late July, the news of Hamza’s death “represented more of a symbolic victory for the American government than the removal of a threat,” as Al Qaeda has not carried out any recent attacks, and while Hamza was being groomed to take over the group – that was many years away from becoming a reality. 

Hamza’s brother Khalid died attempting to defend his father against US Navy SEALs in May, 2011 – when the Obama administration carried out a CIA-led raid with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in which Seal Team Six killed the Al Qaeda leader and immediately dumped his body in the ocean, citing religious reasons.