WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his Indian counterpart are steering clear of directly criticizing Donald Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
But Carter and India's Manohar Parrikar say the anti-Islamic State battle is aimed at violent extremists, not people of the Muslim faith.
Carter was sked at a Pentagon news conference Thursday about Trump's proposal, and the defense secretary said he doesn't comment on domestic politics.
He also said the battle against the Islamic State group is "not a fight with Muslims or Islam." He said it's a fight against an "extremist, violent movement which threatens America."
Parrikar said the question had the potential to be a "nuclear bomb" for him. He then went on to say India doesn't discriminate against any religious group.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
