Riyadh (dpa) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called US President Donald Trump to congratulate him on the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a Ministry of Defence statement said on Tuesday.

Mohammed, who is also the kingdom's minister of defence, congratulated Trump on "the success of the operation carried out by US special forces that led to the death of the leader of Daesh (Islamic State) terrorist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."

The crown prince said al-Baghdadi's death "establishes a new era, and is a historic step in the war against terrorism, extremism and hatred," the statement added.

Trump announced the death of al-Baghdadi on Sunday in a raid that ended a years-long hunt for the militant, who spearheaded a self-proclaimed caliphate that inspired violence around the world.

Al-Baghdadi was proclaimed the caliph, or leader, of the group in 2014 as Islamic State militants took over large parts of Syria and Iraq. In December 2017, Iraq declared victory over the group, while Syria's Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared victory earlier this year.