UNITED STATES President Donald Trump said that a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces killed a top leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria.

Mr Trump wrote in a social media post that the mission in the early hours of Saturday targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who was part of the top leadership of the local IS chapter in west Africa.

Nigeria’s government and military said the operation in the Lake Chad Basin, a stronghold of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), was the result of a recently formed partnership with the US government.

A Nigerian military spokesperson said Mr Mainuki was a “key ISIS operational and strategic figure” who was central to the group’s media operations, finances and weapons development.

The military also said that recent intelligence indicated he might have been appointed as “head of the general directorate of states,” making him second-in-command within the global IS hierarchy.

The Nigerian government acknowledged that US intelligence and co-operation were key to the operation. It was a significant development after the countries’ relations reached their nadir last year, when Mr Trump accused the government of the west African nation of “Christian genocide.”

The Nigerian government repeatedly denied the persecution of Christians.