Washington DC: Hamza bin Laden, son of slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been killed, a US official said.
The unnamed official told CNN on Wednesday that the US had a role in his death but did not disclose details. The US government recently obtained evidence that it believes “corroborates his death”, the official added.
According to the New York Times, Hamza bin Laden had been killed in an operation during the first two years of the Donald Trump administration even before the State Department had announced a USD 1 million reward for his whereabouts in February this year.
Quoting two US officials, the New York Times report said that “the US government had a role in the operation that killed the younger bin Laden, but it was not clear precisely what that role was”.
NBC News was the first to report that the US has obtained intelligence about his death.
Trump and the Defence Department refused to comment on the reports.
Hamza bin Laden is believed to have made his last public appearance in 2018. He was regarded as the potential successor to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The State Department had designated him as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in January 2017. (ANI)
