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White House Press Secretary Jay Carney gestures during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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White House apologizes for Quran burning

Carney: It was a 'deeply unfortunate incident'

Updated: Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012, 12:51 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012, 12:48 PM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is apologizing for the burning of Muslim holy books in a pile of garbage at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

Press secretary Jay Carney says it's a "deeply unfortunate incident" and doesn't reflect the respect the U.S. military has for the religious practices of the Afghan people.

Carney echoed military officials Tuesday in saying that the Quran burning at Bagram Air Field happened unintentionally, and that an investigation was being undertaken to understand why it did and ensure it didn't happen again.

A Western military official said the Qurans were removed from a library at a nearby detention center because they contained extremist messages. Carney didn't address those specifics, referring questions to defense officials.

He said the administration was following the matter closely.