US Secretary of State John Kerry defended President Obama’s handling of the Brussels terror bombings, saying world leaders are "shocked" by Republican presidential candidates' responses and their embarrassing views on Muslims, FOX News reported.

"Everywhere I go, every leader I meet, they ask about what is happening in America," Kerry told CBS's Face the Nation. "They cannot believe it. I think it is fair to say that they're shocked."

He also suggested the GOP candidates' rhetoric is calling into question the United States' "reliability".

Kerry, fellow Democrats and others are particularly upset over GOP front-runner Donald Trump calling for an end to the US Visa Waiver Program and suggesting so-called "enhanced" interrogation methods like water-boarding for terror suspects.

Trump, who has never held elected office, also suggested after the recent Paris bombings, which like the deadly Brussels attacks have been connected to Daesh terror group, that the United States put a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants.

Kerry was criticized for saying after the bombings at a Brussels airport and subway station, which killed 31 and wounded roughly 270 others, that the US was winning the fight against Daesh.

He argued Sunday that the US-led coalition has recouped about 40 percent of the territory in Syria that Daesh had captured and that coalition forces are killing roughly one Daesh leader every three days.

Kerry also said that the Republican presidential candidates' campaign rhetoric on Muslims is an "embarrassment" to the United States.

Source : MENA