Photos of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan posing with insurgents' corpses have prompted apologies from senior U.S. officials for the second time in three months.

The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday ran a photo on its front page of a soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division posing with a dead insurgent’s hand on his shoulder.

The U.S. government and the Pentagon quickly responded after that photo and 17 others were published.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta apologized on behalf of the Department of Defense and the U.S. government, and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called the incident "reprehensible."

Panetta also said he regrets that the Los Angeles Times posted the photographs despite the Pentagon’s request not to disclose them.

The U.S. issued an apology in January after photos surfaced of U.S. soldiers urinating on the remains of insurgents.