US military apologises for 'offensive' leaflets distributed in Afghanistan

The United States military in Afghanistan has apologised for "highly offensive" leaflets that were distributed by them in northern Parwan province of Afghanistan.

The military had distributed anti-Taliban leaflets among the people that contained offensive material desecrating the Islam religion, the Khaama Press reported.

The leaflets, which sparked furor among the people, contained an image of a dog along with Islamic verses-containing Taliban flag.

Meanwhile, a U.S. military official General James Linder, in a statement, said, "The design of the leaflets mistakenly contained an image highly offensive to both Muslims and the religion of Islam."

"I sincerely apologize. We have the deepest respect for Islam and our Muslim partners worldwide," he added.

Linder also said that an investigation would be held "to determine the cause of this incident and to hold the responsible party accountable.