Trump says likely successor of IS leader killed by U.S. troops

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that American troops had killed a person who would have likely succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the new leader of the Islamic State (IS).

"Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's number one replacement has been terminated by American troops," said Trump in a morning tweet.

Trump did not reveal the identity of the person or details of the U.S. military operation, only describing the person as the one who "most likely would have taken the top spot."

Trump's tweet came after U.S. media reported on Monday that IS spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, who was considered a potential successor to al-Baghdadi, had been killed in a U.S. airstrike in northern Syria, hours after the U.S. raid against al-Baghdadi.

Trump announced on Sunday the death of al-Baghdadi, 48, who killed himself by igniting a suicide vest in a U.S. military operation in Syria on Saturday, a move that was hailed within the Trump administration while raising concern about possible retaliation and lingering problems in counterterrorism fights.