KABUL – The 12-year-old grandson of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden hasreportedly been killed in an air strike in Afghanistan, according toreports on Monday.
Osama bin Hamza bin Laden died sometime last year, according to a leakedletter sent by his father Hamza bin Laden to his family announcing thedeath, The New Arab, or Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, news website reported.
“The grandson of the martyr, our son Osama…has ascended to the highestparadise of heaven,” said the letter dated in the Islamic month of Dhual-Qidah, which fell between July and August.
“Tragedies that we meet…such as these only make us stronger and moresteadfast,” the letter added, without giving the cause of death.
Terror Monitor, which closely tracks the online activities of jehadigroups, tweeted that al-Qaeda supporters were circulating the lettermourning the death of Hamza bin Laden’s oldest son Osama bin Hamza binLaden in Afghanistan.
The Arabic news website Arabi 21 cited jehadi sources and reported that the12-year-old boy was killed in an air raid on an al-Qaeda base along thePakistan-Afghanistan border.
Hamza bin Laden has become active as an al-Qaeda propagandist since hisfather was killed by US special forces in a raid in Pakistan in 2011. InJanuary, the US added Hamza to its terror list.
A vast trove of al-Qaeda documents seized during the raid in Abbottabadthat killed Osama bin Laden was released by the CIA last year. It includedthe first public images of Hamza as an adult.
Osama bin Laden had been grooming Hamza, his favourite son, as a possibleheir.