KO OLINA, HAWAII: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday that he found recent comments by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, in which he appeared to compare himself to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, to be "deeply troubling."

Carter was speaking at a news conference after meetings in Hawaii with the defense ministers of southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, during which Duterte's Hitler comments were not discussed, he said.

"Just speaking personally for myself, I find those comments deeply troubling," Carter said.

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