General Soleimani should have been eliminated many years ago: Trump

General Qasem Soleimani should have been eliminated many years ago as powerful commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed and wounded thousands of Americans and was plotting to kill many more, US president Donald Trump said on Friday.

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Gen Soleimani, he of Iran's elite al-Quds force and architect of its regional security apparatus, was killed when a drone fired missiles into a convoy that was leaving Baghd International Airport early on Friday. strike also killed deputy chief of Iraq's powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force and some local Iran-backed militias.

Soleimani, 62, was widely seen as second most powerful figure in Iran behind Ayatollah Khamenei. His Quds Force, an elite unit of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reported directly to Ayatollah and he was hailed as a heroic national figure.

"General Qassem Soleimani has killed or bly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more...but got caught! He was directly and indirectly responsible for death of millions of people, including recent large number....

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"Of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself. While Iran will never be able to properly mit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within country. y are t nearly as sdened as leers will let outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!," Trump tweeted, breaking his silence after he tweeted a picture of US flag.

Following Soleimani's killing, Trump, on a vacation in Florida, initially tweeted an im of US flag.

Hours later, he tweeted again: "Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!", in an apparent slight against nuclear deal his predecessor Barack Obama negotiated with Tehran.

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