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Us apologizes for deadly baghdad incident { August 15 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-iraq15.html http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-iraq15.html U.S. apologizes for deadly Baghdad incident August 15, 2003 BY SAMEER N. YACOUB BAGHDAD, Iraq--The U.S. military apologized to the people of a Baghdad neighborhood Thursday for an incident in which a man was killed after a Black Hawk helicopter blew down an Islamic banner. In the southern city of Basra, a bomb killed one British soldier and wounded three others, British military spokesman Capt. Hisham Halawi said. It was the first British combat death in nearly two months. On Wednesday, American forces fired into a crowd of 3,000 demonstrators in Sadr City, a Shiite Muslim slum, after a man shot a rocket-propelled grenade at the soldiers. The shooter was killed and four bystanders were wounded. ''Our intent is not to alienate the Shiite people,'' said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces in Iraq. ''Apparently, the helicopter blew down the flag or somehow the flag was taken down, and we are taking steps to ensure that doesn't happen again,'' he said, answering a barrage of reporters' questions about why the Black Hawk was hovering above the communications tower. Some Sadr City residents seemed calmed by the U.S. apology. ''I think that this minor incident and misunderstanding is over now. Most of the people are accepting the apology. We will not forget that it was the U.S. soldiers who liberated us from Saddam [Hussein],'' said Abid Ali, an auto repair shop owner. Meanwhile, at the United Nations, the Security Council approved a resolution Thursday welcoming the Iraqi Governing Council and created a mission to oversee UN efforts to help rebuild the country and establish a democratic government. The vote was 14-0 with Syria abstaining because of its opposition to any endorsement of the 25-member Iraqi council, which was appointed by the United States. The occupation of Iraq by the United States and Britain remains a sensitive issue, especially for Arab nations. The Arab League declared on Aug. 4 that its members--which include Syria--would not recognize the Governing Council and would wait instead until Iraq is led by an elected government. But approval of the U.S.-drafted resolution showed a broad acceptance of the Governing Council as a transitional body. AP

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