Ret. Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin on Hamza bin Laden's death: This is a psychological setback for Al Qaeda
Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin says Hamza bin Laden's death is a psychological setback for Al Qaeda, not an operational setback.
Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin said on Saturday that the death of Hamza Bin Laden, the son of terrorist leader Usama Bin Laden, was a "psychological" set back for Al Qaeda.
"I think that it's more of a psychological setback than an operational setback for Al Qaeda -- and it's also a psychological victory for the United States," he said on "Your World.
Boykin noted that Bin Laden's son was not the leader of Al Qaeda but rather acted as a "go-between" for Al Qaeda and other terror groups. "This probably happened over a year ago so it's not a lethal blow," he added.
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In a statement released by the White House on Saturday morning, three days after the 18th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, President Trump confirmed Hamza, a high-ranking Al Qaeda member, "was killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region."
BIN LADEN'S SON HAMZA WAS KILLED IN COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATION, PRESIDENT TRUMP CONFIRMS
“The loss of Hamza bin Laden not only deprives Al Qaeda of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father but undermines important operational activities of the group,” the statement continued. “Hamza bin Laden was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.”
It was unclear when the operation took place. The White House statement gave no further details.
Reports of Hamza’s death first surfaced in July. President Trump and U.S. officials had refused to comment on the death until Saturday’s statement.
News of Hamza Bin Laden's death comes at a time of transition for U.S. foreign policy as former National Security Adviser John Bolton left the administration on Tuesday.
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Boykin wasn't surprised by Bolton's departure and told Fox News host Neil Cavuto that Bolton had "some good ideas."
"But I knew when he went into that job that he was not going to stay because he has an irascible personality and that bumped up the same personality in Donald Trump," he said.
Fox News' Lucia Suarez Sang and Hollie McKay contributed to this report.