‘Cruel’ Donald Trump claims dead solider would still be alive if he was President

Presidential candidate says the Iraq War was a 'horrible mistake'

Captain Khan's parents appeared at the Democratic Convention (Getty Images)

Donald Trump has been criticised for claiming a US soldier killed in the Iraq War would still be alive today if he had been President.

The soldier’s father, Khizr Khan, who gave an emotional speech at the Democratic Convention against Mr Trump in July, branded the remark “cruel”.

The Republication Presidential candidate made the claim when speaking to ABC News but said he believed the solider was a hero.

"Had I been president, Captain Khan would be alive today. We wouldn't have been in this horrible, horrible mistake, the war in Iraq," Mr Trump said.

Humayun Khan was 27-years-old when he was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq.

His father responded to Trump’s comments by saying: "This is the most cruel thing you can say to grieving parents, that if I was there this would not have happened."

Mr Khan’s speech at the Democratic Convention caught the attention of the country when he attacked Mr Trump for his anti-Muslim rhetoric.

As he spoke his wife stood by his side, which Mr Trump claimed implied she was not allowed to talk – a response that received strong condemnation from within his own party.

The controversy was one of many in the Republican's campaign, which saw him backtrack on a proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US and be ridiculed for inaccuracies on Isis.