Here are the latest developments regarding the website Wikileaks.org publishing alleged military and diplomatic documents pertaining to the war in Afghanistan.
NEW
– President Barack Obama learned of the pending WikiLeaks posting of classified military documents last week, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.
Gibbs said the public release of the documents was "a breach of federal law."
"Whenever you have the potential for names and operations and programs to be out there in the public domain, besides being against the law, it has the potential to be very harmful" to military personnel and others, Gibbs said.
– The United States' relationship with Pakistan is "not markedly changed" by information in classified military documents posted by WikiLeaks, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.
– Classified military documents posted by WikiLeaks contained no major new revelations, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.
"In terms of broad revelations, there aren't any that we see in these documents," Gibbs said.
However, Gibbs said the public posting of names of military personnel and their sources, as well as details of operations, could do harm.
– House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, charged Wikileaks with "recklessness" for leaking the papers. "Our nation's secrets are classified for a reason, and the release of classified documents could put our national security - and the lives of our men and women in combat - at serious risk," he said.
– British Foreign Secretary William Hague said, "A good deal of progress is being made in building up the capacity of the Afghan state and Afghanistan working together with so many nations in the world. I hope any leaks will not poison that atmosphere and I do not think they will."
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
– WikiLeaks.org published what it says are about 76,000 United States military and diplomatic reports about Afghanistan filed between 2004 and January of this year.
– WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says leaked United States military reports from Afghanistan appear to contain "evidence of war crimes" by both the U.S. and Taliban forces. "This material doesn't just reveal occasional abuse by the U.S. military," he said. "Of course it has U.S. military reporting on all sort of abuses by the Taliban... So it does describe the abuses by both sides in this war."
– Assange says the documents include the military's own raw data on the war, including numbers of those killed, casualties and threat reports
– The United States has "strongly condemned" the release of the documents, calling it "irresponsible." The Department of Defense will not comment on them until the Pentagon has had a chance to look at them, a department official told CNN.
– CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the documents.
– Assange said the team at WikiLeaks has itself read only 1,000 to 2,000 of the documents.
– Assange said the website held back about 15,000 documents from Afghanistan to protect individuals who informed on the Taliban and will publish those reports after editing out their names.
– The New York Times reported Sunday that military field documents included in the release suggest that Pakistan, an ally of the United States in the war against terror, has been running something of a "double game," allowing "representatives of its spy service to meet directly with the Taliban in secret strategy sessions to organize networks of militant groups that fight against American soldiers in Afghanistan, and even hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders."
– Afghan government spokesman Siamak Herawi said, "the Afghan government is shocked," and charged that Washington needed to deal with Pakistani intelligence, known as the ISI. "There should be serious action taken against the ISI, who has a direct connection with the terrorists," he said.
– Gen. Hamid Gul, the former head of Pakistan's intelligence service who is mentioned numerous times in the Wikileaks reports, called the accusations lies. "These reports are absolutely and utterly false," Gul said Monday. "I think they [the United States] are failing and they're looking for scapegoats."
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KGB and Wiki-Leaks in cahoots? I dont think so..........
Demitri ...... Start the car.......
Just looking for some wood and nails......
I love Wiki_leaks
American troops should not be put in harms way unless we as Americans can accept the realities of war. How many tours of duty is a soldier expected to do and remain 100% stable. You can't ask President Obama because he never served. We expect a lot from our military. Maybe more than is humanly possible. Armchair government officials and the average citizen aren't putting their lives on the line. In my opinion, the average citizen is actually only in the ball game at election time when we can elect our government officials. An election is coming up very soon. Please, make your vote count.
"the average citizen aren't putting their lives on the line."
The average citizen has a lot more sense than place his or her life in danger fighting some senseless war.
Let us be patriotic then mejazzbo, realistic and logical even.
If we refuse to support our country: THINK DRAFT!
Israel for example has a fine grip on the training of all it's citizens to be soldiers with some experience in war.
We here in America are mostly arm chair soldiers with big mouths and minds full of media lies!
Me, I served my 6 years and am better off because of it
All organizations in the world are experiencing the reprecussions of a steep increase in transparency information. Unfortunately for many of those organizations, they committed reprehensible acts assuming that their actions would be more opaque to the world media.
Instead of applauding or deploring those who pull back the veil, we should continue holding powerful groups to the highest standards of conduct and convincing them that doing so is in their best interests. We must continually remind them that wether today or in a century, the truth will out.
There is nothing new here any Moderately informed person knows Pakistan is the problem from the get go.
For example check this report released a few years ago.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB227/index.htm
It is just plain simple that United States and Pakistan just use each other to fulfill its own benefit and this is not new in the political world. Both know about this and they just keep quiet. Pakistan is not a country that can be trusted and nor does the United States. Whether Agfan is another one is just up to who you are talking to, I don't think it worths a dime to do whatsoever the United States has spent in Agfan so far as this is a 110% corrupted place and there is no just thing as democracy and justice in that country; just money and power. Soviet learnt that the hard way in its 10years' presence there and ruin its own economy and now it is the United States' turn.
This is how it is. No Body Care.
There is no more appreciation and good thoughts toward America, a good country gone bad, and one that is selling itself out to the likes of China which owns a good portion of Americas wealth.
Some comments on here are Anti-Semitic Waaaa Waaa Waaaa Where is my diaper, waaaa waaaaa, I need attention...Waaaa Waaaaa
Julian Assange should be arrested and put on trial for Treason. For what he and his outfit did, he should get 40 years in prison and be forever branded a Benedict Arnold.
Or, be thanked for his expose!
Thank you Steve for this intelligent 'report' of 'How It Is". I am also a vet of 6 years.
Steve
The military allows illegal maintenance on their helicopters: under manned, lack of repair parts, tired – overworked – and underpaid soldiers to do the maintenance – ....and full fledged high ranking officers to lie about the paperwork and cover it all up. I retired as a test pilot after 20 years, I reported this both fefore and after a fatal crash and they tried to put me and my family out on the streets for it. The same goes for BP and other business that requires safety – do crappy work and shove it under the carpet...."who cares who gets hurt or dies as long as we look good." Good for whistleblowers – report everything! Bin Laden is probably having tea with Bush and Cheney as you read this!
I am so tired of americans being called 'sheep' by all the muslim sympathisers on this site. The media has become so transparent (unfortunetly) that we are the least like sheep in the world. Iran, China, N Korea, and most other countries control what their people see and know, and they are the true 'sheep' of the world. 'Sheep' strap bombs on themselves and blow themselves up in worship of a false prophet. I want to see the terrorist leaders strap bombs on themselves, why dont we see that happen. Never send your men out to do a job you wont do yourself or you are the true coward.
The Taliban is putting up serious resistance. These reports show what forces are dealing with. Pakistan has been playing both sides and as a result harmed collation forces. The link that North Korea has played in communication with the Taliban is also interesting. Was this right in being released at this time? What sentence, used to fit some agenda, will distort the truth? Does this put collation forces in danger?
We are in Afghanistan to bring Al Qaeda to justice. However, from what many experts have they said, they have simply moved to different countries. Yet we remain trying to “nation” build (when our own is suffering).
One thing is a fact, extremists are set on destroying America. Other governments are working to accomplish the same. Do we meet these groups head-on or do we wait until the battles are on our soil? Everyone knew that Pakistan was putting on a false front about how they were going against extremists. Everyone knew that North Korea would sell missiles to our enemy. Flights of Al Qaeda learders flying out of Iran? Most knew this already.
Doing nothing is opening the door on America once again being hit hard. Our thoughts are on the men and women serving our country. Our sons, daughters, moms and dads. War is ugly and it’s the innocent people that die, or live the rest of their lives changed forever.
By golly, we is da evil doers!!
How does this sound – US pays Pakistan to kill American soldiers.
As a famous european diplomat once put it" if the taliban did not exist ,it would be necessary for pakistan to create it"
But the american tax payer is the jack ass in this ball game.he is paying to send US troops to these areas(salary.food,weapons etc)and he is also paying for getting then killed(salary,food, ammunition, guns etc) for the taliban–routed through Pakistan. unfortunately the american Tax payer cannot live in the bhutto mansion in Londo(13million pound) although he has fully paid for it!!
I agree, the tax payer is the jack ass! We just close are eyes and turn are backs to the real problem ! Our goverment is just as crooked as the people in the pen. Thats were it all starts. Look at Kerry hideing his boat to avoid paying taxes on it. Look at the retired senator leaveing her car parked in the washinton parking garage for several years, oweing more than 20k in parking fee's. Was there any punishment to either? NO ! Why, because there above the law ! Fire all the Congress and House representatives!!! They dont care about anything except lineing their pockets is all!!! There all worthless ! Put a cap on term limits. Better yet, put a salary of 30k to 40k a year and lets see how many of them jump threw the hoops for the job. What about free medical for them and there famalys for life? Weres ours? There no better than us ! Point is our goverment SUCKS, period ! Things wont get better until there all fired.