Republican Donald Trump has repeated calls for the return of waterboarding against Daesh militants, saying: "I like it a lot," the BBC reported on Thursday.

His comments at a rally in Ohio came hours after suicide bombers killed 41 people at an airport in Istanbul.

"You have to fight fire with fire," said the Republicans' likely nominee, after referring to Daesh beheadings.

Waterboarding, described by President Barack Obama as torture, was banned by the US in 2006.

The Turkish authorities believe Daesh was behind the attacks at Ataturk International Airport on Tuesday.

"We have to fight so viciously and violently because we're dealing with violent people," Trump said.

At one point, he asked the crowd: "What do you think about waterboarding?"

They cheered as he gave his answer: "I like it a lot. I don't think it's tough enough."

The New York tycoon lamented that the US is prevented from waterboarding but "they [Daesh] can do chopping off heads, drowning people in steel cages, they can do whatever they want to do".

Source : MENA