US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has expressed regret to a professor of Indian descent, officials said Friday, after he appeared to jokingly ask if the academic was a member of the Taliban. Hagel's spokesman insisted the off-hand remark, which came after a speech at the University of Nebraska on Wednesday, was not meant to refer to anyone in the audience or to the professor's Indian heritage.
At Wednesday's event, after discussing prospects for talks with the Taliban insurgency, Hagel waited for another question and pointed to the back of the hall, saying: "OK, so who has a - way up in the back there. You're not a member of the Taliban are you?" His attempt at humour appeared to fall flat, judging by the long pause that followed, according to a video of the event broadcast by the Pentagon channel. The video did not show who he was referring to, but the question that followed his remark came from a man who introduced himself as Robin Gandhi, an assistant professor the university. "This was an off the cuff remark not directed at anyone in particular in the audience, and he recognises that even though it was a joke that it was perhaps off-key," press secretary George Little told reporters Friday. "I would emphasise it was completely unintentional and not directed at anyone in particular."