'Pretty sure' bin Laden son killed

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 23 (UPI) -- Saad bin Laden, a son of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, was likely killed in a U.S. airstrike in the tribal areas of Pakistan, intelligence sources said.

Intelligence sources who spoke to the online Long War Journal on condition of anonymity said they were "pretty sure" they killed Saad in an airstrike this year.

Similar reports by National Public Radio, which broke the news, suggest Saad was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" and that there was a "big deal" made out of the claim because of the association with Osama bin Laden.

Al-Qaida has so far not issued any confirmation of the reports, as most deaths are met with a statement that an official or insurgent has martyred themselves for jihad.

Reports are conflicted on his role in al-Qaida. The NPR report suggests Saad was not a major player in al-Qaida, while the Long War Journal states he was an operational commander in the 2003 bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which killed 35 and injured another 160 people.

The Journal also claims Saad had helped with communications between Osama bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and the elite Qods Force in Iran.

Mike McConnell, the former U.S. national intelligence director, said that Saad had spent several years under house arrest in Iran before crossing into Pakistani territory in 2008.

Intelligence officials say they would need DNA evidence to confirm the kill, though it remains unclear if U.S. authorities have the body in custody.