Osama bin Laden's son Hamza is dead -White House

Hamza bin Laden - the son of the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden - was killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation, according to the White House.

In a statement Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation was carried out in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

And that the loss of the high-ranking al Qaeda member "undermines important operational activities of the group."

Hamza, believed to be about 30 years old, was at his father's side in Afghanistan before the September 11th attacks.

He also spent time with his father in Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan pushed much of al Qaeda's senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution.

The U.S. designated Hamza as a terrorist in 2017 after he called for acts of terrorism in Western capitals and threatened to take revenge against the U.S. for killing his father.

Reuters reported in July that Hamza had been killed, citing a U.S. official with knowledge of the matter.

But Saturday's statement marks the first time the U.S. government has confirmed the operation.