U.S. confirms death of Osama bin Laden's son

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday morning the death of Osama bin Laden's son in a U.S. counterterrorism operation.

Hamza bin Laden, also a high-ranking al-Qaeda member, "was killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region," said the White House in a statement.

Trump said in the statement that the death of Hamza bin Laden, whom Washington has accused of being "responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups," will undermine al-Qaeda's leadership and the group's operational activities.

The announcement came days after the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Hamza bin Laden was officially announced as an official member of al-Qaeda in August 2015. He was identified by Washington as a terrorist in early 2017.

Hamza bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia in 1989. His father Osama bin Laden, founder and former leader of al-Qaeda, was shot and killed on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan during a covert U.S. operation.