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WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 asked 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.
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