Kerry: Fighting Extremism Requires More Than Military Action

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry is decrying a "silly" media debate over what must be done to fight violent extremism. He says all approaches from killing extremists on the battlefield to improving living conditions and opportunities for disaffected youth are required.

Speaking Thursday to a White House conference on dealing with the spread of violent ideologies, Kerry said it would be "kind of stupid" just to attack those who are currently fighting and ignore the root causes of extremism. He said that focusing only on killing existing extremists will not stop more people from joining their ranks.

Kerry's comments come amid criticism of the U.S. strategy for fighting extremism and preventing radicalization from those who believe it should be focused on military action.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.