Osama Bin Laden's Son Hamza Alive, Leading Al Qaeda In Afghanistan: Report

Hamza bin Laden, the son of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, is alive and leading the terror outfit, according to intelligence reports cited by The Mirror. Hamza is secretly running Al Qaeda from Afghanistan along with his brother, Abdullah bin Laden, the publication says in an explosive report. The National Mobilisation Front (NMF), an anti-Taliban military alliance, also carried a report detailing the operations of Hamza and his associates. The outlet said that the man dubbed the “crown prince of terror” is hiding in northern Afghanistan under the constant protection of 450 snipers.

The NMFhas warned that since the 2021 fall of Kabul, Afghanistan has become a "training centre for various terror groups".

"Hamza bin Laden has been moved to Dara Abdullah Khel district (in Panjshir), where 450 Arabs and Pakistanis are protecting him," it said, warning that "under his command, Al Qaeda is regrouping and preparing for future attacks on Western targets".

The NMF report contradicted claims that Hamza was killed in a 2019 US airstrike. Hamza is believed to have worked closely with Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over the affairs of Al Qaeda after Osama's killing.

The news about Hamza's killing was released after his audio and video messages surfaced calling for attacks on the US and other countries.

However, the place and date of death was unclear, per an old BBC report. The Pentagon too did not comment on the issue.

Hamza bin Laden was officially designated by the US as a global terrorist and was believed to have been under house arrest in Iran.

He is thought to have been born in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, before spending years with his mother in Iran.

Hamza's father Osama bin Laden was killed by US Special Forces in 2011, in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. He had approved the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.