WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke for the first time about the fate of Hamza bin Laden, the son of al Qaeda founder and former leader Osama bin Laden, after news of his death earlier.
"That's what I understand," Esber said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday night when asked if Hamza bin Laden was dead. "I don't have details, and if I have details, I'm not sure how much I can share with you."
US media reported in early August that Hamza bin Laden had been killed in the last two years in a US-led operation, citing US intelligence officials.
President Donald Trump and other senior officials have refused to publicly confirm or deny his death. "I don't want to comment," Trump told reporters earlier.
The State Department revealed that Hamza holds the number 15 of Osama bin Laden's 20 sons, and his third wife, and is believed to be in the age of thirty.
"He has emerged as a leader in al-Qaeda," she said, noting that he was sometimes called "the crown prince of jihad."
Hamza published audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries in retaliation for his father's death in Pakistan in May 2011.
The ABC network quoted US officials as saying that Hamza, the son of al Qaeda leader, was killed earlier during an operation in which US intelligence played a role.
The New York Times, citing two US officials, said the operation in which Hamza bin Laden, a key al Qaeda leader, was killed in the past two years was undetermined. The officials said it took time to confirm his death.
A US official said the US government was expected to issue a statement soon on Hamza bin Laden after NBC earlier quoted three government officials as saying Washington had received intelligence indicating Hamza's death.
Over the years, Hamza has occasionally sent threatening messages to the United States and its interests around the world, and sources have reported that he may succeed his father, who was killed in a US-led military operation in Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden lived the last days of his life.
In February, the United States allocated $ 1 million for information leading to Hamza, who the United States feared would exploit his father's symbolism and gather around him remnants of al-Qaeda, especially as he is delivering a passionate rhetoric for young people.