Hamza bin Laden, the son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has been killed in a counter-terrorism operation in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region, the White House has said.
It said in a statement: "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."
No further details, such as when Hamza was killed, have been given.
Believed to be aged about 30, he had become an increasingly prominent figure in the organisation and was viewed as an eventual heir to the leadership.
Rita Katz, the director of the Washington-based SITE intelligence counter-terrorism organisation, said earlier this year that Hamza had been “beloved by the global jihadi community” and had avoided criticising the Islamic State in order to promote unity between the rival groups.
She added: “He was seen as a future leader who would unite the global jihad. Thus, if he is indeed dead, it will be a major blow to the movement.
“He was one of al-Qaeda’s loudest voices calling for attacks in the West and giving directives. He, with al-Qaeda’s help, was positioning himself to lead the global jihadi movement”
Hamza's father, Osama bin Laden, plotted the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. He was killed by US Navy SEALs in a raid on a house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011.
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