New York ? Newsweek magazine has apologized for errors in a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran, saying it would re-examine the accusations, which sparked outrage and deadly protests in Afghanistan.

Fifteen people died and scores were injured in violence between protesters and security forces, prompting U.S. promises to investigate the allegations. After Muslim leaders in several countries assailed the U.S. over the allegations, Pentagon officials blamed Newsweek for the flare-up and accused it of “irresponsible” reporting.

“We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst,” Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker wrote in a note to readers.

In an issue dated May 9, the magazine reported that U.S. military investigators had found evidence that interrogators placed copies of Islam’s holy book in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk.

Whitaker wrote that the magazine’s information came from “a knowledgeable U.S. government source,” and before it published the item, writers Michael Isikoff and John Barry sought comment from two Defense Department officials. One declined to respond, and the other challenged another part of the story but did not dispute the Quran charge, Whitaker said.

But on Friday, a top Pentagon spokesman told the magazine that a review of the military’s investigation concluded “it was never meant to look into charges of Quran desecration.” The spokesman also said the Pentagon had investigated other desecration charges by detainees and found them “not credible.”

Pakistani protesters burn a U.S. flag to condemn alleged desecration of Islam's holy book, the Quran, at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The protest was Sunday in Peshawar, Pakistan. Newsweek magazine, which had published a story describing acts of desecration, on Sunday said its story was in error and apologized for the mistake.

Newsweek Washington Bureau Chief Daniel Klaidman said the magazine believes it erred in reporting the allegation that a prison guard tried to flush the Quran down a toilet and that military investigators had confirmed the accusation.

“The issue here is to get the truth out, to acknowledge as quickly as possible what happened, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Klaidman told the “CBS Evening News” on Sunday.