Osama bin Laden’s son and terrorism heir was reportedly killed in a military operation that involved American forces.
Hamza bin Laden, who had repeatedly vowed to attack the U.S. to avenge his father and much else, was killed some time during President Trump’s administration, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The Times report, which cited “two American officials,” was vague on specific circumstances of the younger’s bin Laden’s death. It did not say where or specifically when he was killed, or the extent of U.S. involvement.
The Times’ sources spoke only on condition of anonymity “because it involved sensitive operations and intelligence gathering.”
The State Department had put a $1 million bounty on bin Laden in February, but, according to the Times, U.S. military and intelligence agencies did not know at the time that he was dead.
Bin Laden had been announced as a voice of Al Qaeda, the Islamist terror group founded by his father, in August 2015, called “a young lion to carry forth the cause.”
However, the regular messages from Hamza bin Laden ceased months ago, the Times reported.
President Trump was asked Wednesday about the early reports of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but declined.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” he said.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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