US President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden's son Hamza, who was seen as his successor at the head of al-Qaeda.
Trump said in a statement that "Hamza bin Laden, a senior al-Qaeda official and son of Osama bin Laden was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the United States in an area between Afghanistan and Pakistan," without specifying the date of the operation.
"The killing of Hamza bin Laden not only deprives al-Qaeda of its authority and symbolic association with his father, but also undermines important activities of the organization."
"Hamza bin Laden planned and worked with different terrorist groups," he said.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper was the first US official to speak publicly about the killing of Hamza bin Laden at the end of August, when asked about the latter's death in a television interview. "That's what I learned," he said.
However, he refused to elaborate. "I have no details, and even if I had them, I wouldn't be sure I could reveal them to you," he said.
Hamza was considered a successor to his father Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the United States blacklisted persons accused of "terrorism".
In February, Washington offered a reward of up to $ 1 million for any information to help find it.
Hamza is the 15th son of Osama bin Laden from his third wife, and his Saudi citizenship was withdrawn in March.