U2 frontman Bono had an unusual take on tackling terrorism when addressing a US Senate panel in Washington on Tuesday.

The 55-year-old rock star was on hand to discuss the "causes and consequences of violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance" when he suggested that comedy might go some way to crushing ISIS.

"Don’t laugh,” he said. “I think comedy should be deployed...

"The first people that Adolf Hitler threw out of Germany were the dadaists and surrealists. It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them, when they’re goose-stepping down the street, and it takes away their power. So, I’m suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer, and Chris Rock, and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you.”

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Amy Schumer responded on Twitter with a simple, "Holy s***""

Although some of the audience laughed at his proposition, Bono went on to say he was "actually serious" - and he wasn't entirely dismissed for his view.

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According to The Daily Beast, Senator Jeanne Shaheen responded, "Actually, that's not the first time I've head experts on how do we counter violent extremism talk about that.

"It's one of the things that we're looking at."

Bono went on to appeal for a "Marshall Plan" to provide aid to the Middle East.

"When aid is structured properly, with a focus on fighting poverty and improving governance, it could just be the best bulwark we have against the extremism of our age," he said.

Bono has stepped away from music and into the equally familiar realm of humanitarian work this week.

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As well as his Senate address, he appeared on MSNBC, staged a Facebook Live event at ONE HQ, and had several articles on refugee camps published in The New York Times.

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