Army regrets Allah ball

THE US military regrets any offence it may have caused by handing out a soccer ball emblazoned with the name of Allah on it as part of a public relations exercise in Afghanistan, a spokesman said yesterday.

At least one of the balls — which were dropped in the Khost province on Friday — carried a small picture of the Saudi Arabia flag.

The flag features the Islamic declaration of faith, which contains the words Allah and the Prophet Mohammed.