WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has confirmed the death of Hamza Bin Laden, the son and designated heir of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
“That’s my understanding,” Esper said in an interview late Wednesday with Fox News when asked if Hamza bin Laden was dead.
“I don’t have the details on that. And if I did I’m not sure how much I could share with you,” he added.
US media reported at the beginning of August that bin Laden was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States, citing US intelligence officials.
But President Donald Trump and other senior officials have refused to confirm or deny it publicly.
“I don’t want to comment on it,” Trump told reporters when asked.
The 15th of Osama bin Laden’s 20 children and a son of his third wife, Hamza, thought to be about 30 years old, was “emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise,” the State Department said in announcing the reward.
Sometimes dubbed the “crown prince of jihad,” he had put out the audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries, especially to avenge his father’s killing by US forces in Pakistan in May 2011, the department said.
That work made him important in attracting a new generation of followers to the extremist group which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US which left nearly 3,000 dead.
His father’s death in 2011 and the rise of the more virulent Daesh group saw Al-Qaeda lose currency with younger jihadists, but the group appears to have been plotting a stealthy comeback under leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
Pentagon chief confirms death of Qaeda’s Hamza bin Laden
Pentagon chief confirms death of Qaeda’s Hamza bin Laden
- Hamza had put out audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries
- President Donald Trump and other senior officials had previously refused to confirm or deny news of his death publicly
Pakistan PM leaves for Saudi Arabia on brief visit as Middle East crisis rages on
- The visit comes at a time of increased volatility in the region, following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s counterattacks
- Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed will discuss the ongoing tensions, regional security and bilateral relations, Sharif’s office says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday departed for Saudi Arabia on a brief, hours-long visit, his office said, amid an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The visit comes at a time of increased volatility in the region, following Unites States-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s counterattacks on US bases in several Gulf countries as well as commercial and oil infrastructure, raising the spectre of a wider war.
Sharif, expected to discuss regional security and diplomatic coordination with Saudi leaders, is visiting the Kingdom on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the prime minister’s office.
“Sharif will meet His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” the former’s office said.
“The meeting between the two leaders will discuss the ongoing tensions in the region, the regional security situation and the bilateral relations between the two countries.”
The development came a day after Bloomberg, citing comments from Sharif’s spokesperson, reported that Pakistan is ready to support Saudi Arabia “no matter what” as tensions escalate across the Middle East following Iranian strikes on Gulf states.
Mosharraf Zaidi told Bloomberg TV Islamabad would come to Riyadh’s aid whenever required, emphasizing the longstanding security partnership between the two countries, which was further strengthened by a mutual defense pact signed in September last year.
There was “no question we might, we will” come to Saudi Arabia’s aid “no matter what and no matter when,” Zaidi said.
“Both countries, even before the defense agreement, have always operated on the principle of being there for the other,” he added.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have historically maintained close military and strategic ties, and the new agreement elevated their security cooperation at a time of heightened regional instability.
Zaidi said Pakistan was also working diplomatically to prevent the conflict from expanding further across the region.
