WASHINGTON – The White House said yesterday America’s image abroad had suffered irreparable damage from a now-retracted Newsweek article alleging that American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Koran, the Muslim holy book.

The administration used the Newsweek incident to criticize the practices of other, unnamed news organizations. “One of the concerns is that some media organizations have used anonymous sources that are hiding behind that anonymity in order to generate negative attacks,” presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said.

Newsweek at first apologized for its story and then retracted it under heavy pressure from the administration. The White House blamed the magazine’s account for triggering deadly anti-American protests in Afghanistan last week in which police fired on demonstrators and killed about 15 people.

The administration called on Newsweek to explain how it got the story wrong and to report on American military practices intended to ensure that the Koran is handled with respect. The State Department told its embassies to spread the word abroad that America respects all religious faiths.

A two-page cable sent to all American diplomatic posts told the ambassadors to inform host governments and local press that Newsweek had retracted its report that investigators found evidence interrogators desecrated the Koran.

The Pentagon has found nothing to substantiate allegations of Koran desecration, the cable said, adding, “The U.S. government will continue to investigate all credible allegations of misconduct and will take action against those responsible if the allegations are substantiated.”

The Newsweek account comes on the heels of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal – an episode that humiliated America, outraged the Arab world, and provoked worldwide condemnation. The White House said the Newsweek account had caused further harm.

Mr. McClellan said Newsweek would have to decide what it should do to set the record straight. “All we’re saying is that we would encourage them to help undo the damage that has been done,” he said. “Some of it’s not going to be able to be undone, some of it is lasting.” He said that Newsweek “certainly has the ability” to help repair the damage. “They are a widely published magazine.”

Afghanistan’s government said Newsweek should be held responsible for damages caused by the demonstrations. In Kabul, Afghan presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said the government suspected that “elements from within and outside Afghanistan” had helped turn peaceful protests violent.

Last week, General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said American commanders believed local political factions – and not the report about the alleged desecration – were driving the violence in Afghanistan.

The Newsweek account was not the first allegation about American personnel desecrating the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. British and Kuwaiti detainees had alleged last year that they witnessed American personnel flushing a Koran down the toilet. The Pentagon has been unwilling to say whether the earlier allegations were investigated.

Yesterday, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the earlier allegations weren’t considered credible.

Mr. Di Rita took issue with one aspect of the State Department cable, saying no specific allegation of desecration of the Koran has been investigated, as the cable suggests. Instead, he said that as a result of the Newsweek article, the military is conducting a basic review of how it handles the Koran and other religious items.