Bush: Sorry for Qu'ran shooting

2008-05-20 20:30

Baghdad - US President George W Bush has apologised to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki over the shooting of a Qu'ran by an American soldier near Baghdad, state television announced on Tuesday.

"The prime minister received an apology from US President George W Bush on the incident of shooting of a Qu'ran by a US soldier," Al-Iraqia television said.

US military authorities in Iraq have apologised to the local community west of Baghdad where the staff sergeant fired at the Qu'ran during shooting practice on May 11.

The unidentified soldier, who pumped bullets into the Muslim holy book and wrote an expletive inside, has since been expelled from his unit and sent home.

The American military described the incident as "both serious and deeply troubling," but stressed it was an "isolated incident and a result of one soldier's actions".

Strict disciplinary action against offender

On Saturday, the top US commander for Baghdad, Major General Jeffrey Hammond met with local leaders, issuing an apology and promising strict disciplinary action against the offender.

However, the Sunni Muslim Iraqi Islamic Party headed by Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on Monday demanded government action against the soldier.

The desecration of the Qu'ran was also strongly condemned by the Association of Muslim Scholars, which claims to represent more than 3 000 mosques, and which held both the US military and Iraqi government responsible.

It said the "heinous crime shows the hatred" that the US military and American leaders had for the Qu'ran and the Muslim people.

There has been no immediate reaction from Maliki's government, but the American soldier has already been removed from Iraq and apologised for his actions, according to the US military.

- AFP