The Red Cross and the Pentagon have acknowledged that they discussed complaints of Koran desecration from detainees held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002 and 2003.

On Thursday, Red Cross officials said that after several discussions with the Pentagon about the allegations, the complaints ceased.

Neither Red Cross officials nor the Pentagon have disclosed details of the allegations, but the Pentagon said the incidents were rare and minor.

Defense officials say they are continuing to investigate allegations of Koran desecration that have fueled anti-U.S. protests around the world, leaving at least 17 people dead in Afghanistan.

The uproar began after Newsweek magazine said a Defense Department report found that U.S. interrogators had flushed a copy of the Muslim holy book down a toilet to rattle detainees. Newsweek later retracted the story and apologized.