US military says sorry after soldier in Iraq uses Koran for target practice

The U.S. President apologised in a telephone call on Monday with Maliki, who told him the incident had humiliated and angered Iraq's largely Muslim population, the cabinet said in a statement.

'Deeply troubling': US military spokesman Colonel Bill Buckner said coalition commanders have expressed their regret to local Iraqi leaders

Apology: George Bush

"The American president apologised on behalf of the United States ... promising to present the soldier to the courts," it said.

A U.S. embassy spokeswoman said that in the call, Mr Bush expressed his deep concern over the "completely unacceptable conduct of an American soldier".

A U.S. soldier has been disciplined and sent home after a bullet-riddled copy of the Muslim holy book was found at a shooting range near Baghdad on May 11. Tribal leaders also accused the soldier of writing offensive language inside the book.

American military commanders in Iraq held a ceremony to formally apologise and present a new Koran to tribal leaders in the area where the incident took place. The number two U.S. commander has also met Iraqi leaders to apologise.

The military has described the incident as "serious and deeply troubling" and stressed that American soldiers respect Islam and the Koran.

There has been no violent backlash in Iraq, as has sometimes occurred elsewhere in the Muslim world after the Islamic faith is perceived to have been insulted, but the Iraqi government has called for the soldier to be severely punished.

Iraq's government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Mr Bush's apology was not enough.

"We need to try this soldier since he committed a grievous crime. This is what the Iraqi government wants. It is not satisfied with just an apology," he said.

The Iraqi cabinet said the U.S. military should also educate its soldiers to respect Islam and Muslim holy sites.

The incident has been deeply embarrassing for the U.S. military, which has been working hard to improve its image among Iraqis and forge alliances with tribal leaders to fight Sunni Islamist al Qaeda militants

Breakthrough: Iraqi soldiers patrol in an armoured vehicle in the Shiite district of Sadr City in Baghdad

Meanwhile, some 10,000 Iraqi police and soldiers, backed by tanks, pushed deep into Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Baghdad bastion on Tuesday, stamping the government's authority on an area until now outside its control.

The army said they met no resistance as they moved into Sadr City in the early hours, securing three quarters of the sprawling slum where hundreds have been killed in weeks of fighting between U.S. and Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militants loyal to Sadr.

A truce 10 days ago between Shi'ite factions largely ended the fighting in one of Baghdad's poorest districts and paved the way for Tuesday's operation.

The truce agreement called on gunmen loyal to Sadr to lay down their arms and on the government to restore control over Sadr City.

Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and police and columns of military vehicles moved into the suburb in the early hours, past burned-out wrecks of buildings and along rubble-strewn streets.

"We are taking control of three quarters of (Sadr) city. What is left is the final quarter," said a spokesman for Iraqi security forces in Baghdad.

Fire-blackened and bullet-riddled buildings in the area gave testament to the recent fighting and U.S. air and tank strikes in Sadr City, home to 2 million people.

Battleground: An Iraqi army soldier stands guard at a checkpoint in Sadr City today

Tanks and armoured personnel carriers stood on corners, flying Iraqi flags, while army vehicles patrolled streets. Black-robed women walked nearby and children played.

Sadr City is the main stronghold of Sadr's Mehdi Army, a militia estimated to number tens of thousands that the U.S. military once called the greatest threat to peace in Iraq.

The operation, on the second anniversary of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's swearing-in, was the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that the Iraqi army had pushed so deeply into the area. It previously controlled only the perimeter.

Mr Maliki's government is pushing to extend its control over areas that were under the sway of Shi'ite militias or Sunni Arab insurgents.

The security forces spokesman said Tuesday's operation was coordinated with Sadr's movement to avoid bloodshed and soldiers had cleared more than 100 roadside bombs before going in.

The army intended to set up permanent checkpoints, search for wanted people, disarm insurgents and provide basic services to residents.

"I saw more than 40 Iraqi Humvees (army vehicles) in the major street in my district," said Hamza Hashim, a 53-year-old Sadr City resident.

Iraqi soldiers took over a disused police station while others moved into high buildings and deployed snipers, he said. Shops and schools in the area were closed, residents said.

A U.S. military spokesman said no American troops were involved and the operation was Iraqi-planned and executed.