Trump has 'black soul', say parents of fallen Muslim US soldier as Pence tries to save face

Khizr Khan, father of fallen Muslim veteran Capt Humayun SM Khan, has referred to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as someone with a "black soul" and lacking empathy.

On 28 July, Khizr Khan took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to deliver an emotional speech. He endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton while recounting his son's passing in Iraq in 2004.

He slammed Trump's proposal to put a ban on Muslims.

In response, Trump asked if Khan's wife Ghazala was allowed to speak on stage as a Muslim woman. He also asked if Khan's speech had been penned by Hillary Clinton's "script writers". Trump added that like late Capt Humayun Khan, he had made many sacrifices by creating "tens of thousands of jobs."

"If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me," Trump had said in an interview with ABC News. "She was extremely quiet, and it looked like she had nothing to say."

"He lacks awareness of these issues. He doesn't realise there are patriotic Muslim Americans in this country willing to lay their lives for this country. We are a testament to that", Khan told Washington Post in response to Trump's remarks.

On Sunday, Trump took to Twitter defending his statements, insisting that his comments were in view of the war against terrorism.