Osama bin Laden's son, Saad, was likely killed in a US missile strike in Pakistan earlier this year, US National Public Radio reported, citing US intelligence officials.
US intelligence agencies are 80-85 percent sure Saad is dead, an unnamed official said, adding that Osama's son, who was in his 30s, was an active member of al-Qaeda but was not important enough to be targeted. was "in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Saad, who played an important role in Iran-al-Qaeda relations, reportedly arrived in Pakistan after spending several years under house arrest in Iran, Reuters reported.
National Public Radio noted in the report that it was not known whether Saad was near Osama bin Laden at the time of his death.
It is assumed that he was killed by a missile fired from an American "Predator" drone. Since the beginning of the year, about 50 such attacks have been carried out, in which about 470 people - civilians and extremists - have been killed.
The identity of the victims of this type of attack is difficult to determine, which partly explains why the news is now being released. It is interesting that the news is being aired at a time when, with new victims, the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan in the first three weeks of July exceeds 30, which is two more than in June 2008, which was unpleasant for Americans, when 28 died.
The deaths of American soldiers coincide with a British-backed American offensive in a Taliban stronghold in Helmand province. The deaths of the soldiers caused tensions in Great Britain, where US Vice President Joseph Biden said that there will be more military casualties, but that, as far as American and British interests are concerned, the war is worth the effort and the sacrifices made.
