WikiLeaks reveals thousands of classified documents

[TrolleyDave]

Thousands of classified US military files on the war in Afghanistan, including unreported civilian deaths and covert operations to kill Taliban leaders, have been leaked online.

Of more than 90,000 documents spanning six years of conflict, 75,000 documents have been published online by whistle-blower organisation WikiLeaks.

Entitled the Afghan War Diary, the giant cache is made up of reports written by soldiers and communications between the US military and diplomats from January 2004 to December 2009.

The files reveal that hundreds of Afghan civilians have been killed by coalition forces and includes information on covert efforts to "kill or capture" Taliban leaders.

Other reports suggest Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, may have been aiding insurgents.

The White House has "strongly condemned" the release of the files, saying it is irresponsible and a threat to national security.

Speaking at a news conference in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said amongst the reams of information, there appeared to be evidence of war crimes.

"It is up to a court to decide really if something in the end is a crime. That said ... there does appear to be evidence of war crimes in this material," he said.

Mr Assange insisted the information he put into the public domain is accurate and said the real story of the leak was not a single moment, but the brutality of the conflict.

Wikileaks

The classified material was passed to the Wikileaks website

"It is one damn thing after another. It is the continuous small events, the continuous deaths of children, insurgents, allied forces," he said.

"This is the story of the war since 2004. Most of the deaths in this war are as a result of the everyday squalor of war."

Before the documents were posted online, three newspapers were given early access to the records.

One of those publications, The Guardian, described them as revealing a "devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan".

The paper said the reports reveal "how a secret 'black' unit of special forces hunts down Taliban leaders for kill or capture without trial" and "how the US covered up evidence that the Taliban has acquired deadly surface-to-air missiles".

But Guardian analysts said the files "fail to provide a convincing smoking gun" for links between Pakistani intelligence and the Taliban.

The New York Times disagreed, arguing the files describe US fears its ally was aiding the Afghan insurgency.

It says documents accuse Pakistani spies of meeting directly with the Taliban in "secret strategy sessions" to plot against US soldiers in Afghanistan.

German paper Der Spiegel, the third outlet given access, reported the records portray Afghan security officers as helpless victims of Taliban attacks.

Wikileaks said it had delayed the release of around 15,000 reports from the diary archive "as part of a harm minimisation process demanded by our source".

It added that the remaining documents would be published, possibly with redactions, as the security situation in Afghanistan permitted.

Leaked Afghanistan Incidents plotted on google earth

The reports appear very rapidly in chronological order and over time the clusters become denser, showing the growing intensity of the fight against insurgents as the campaign goes on.

The White House condemned the "irresponsible leaks" and reiterated its confidence in its "important bilateral partnership" with Pakistan.

National security adviser, General James Jones, said: "WikiLeaks made no effort to contact us about these documents - the United States government learned from news organisations that these documents would be posted.

"These irresponsible leaks will not impact our ongoing commitment to deepen our partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan, to defeat our common enemies and to support the aspirations of the Afghan and Pakistani people."

This is not the first time WikiLeaks has hit the headlines for releasing classified military material.

US military video leaked by Wikileaks

The website has also published decrypted footage shot from a US Apache helicopter

In April this year the website published decrypted footage shot from the cockpit of a US Apache helicopter.

The 38-minute gunsight video shows troops shooting at civilians, who they believed were insurgents, on the streets of Baghdad in July 2007.

Two journalists from the news agency Reuters were among those killed and two children were seriously injured.

American army intelligence analyst, Private First Class Bradley Manning, faces up to 52 years in jail for allegedly leaking the tape.

The latest WikiLeaks development comes as the Taliban claimed to have killed a US sailor and kidnapped another.

Nato forces have continued a wide search for the missing servicemen, who disappeared in an area held by the militants.

Original story from Sky News : Here

I

you WikiLeaks!

edit : Extra info added, read here!

Cheers emigre!

 

[emigre]

Well it was never going to be a picnic. I've been reading up on it here.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

You would make a thread like this you anti-American XD

You're lucky you're awesome

 

[monkat]

It's called war. Bad things happen.

 

[The Pi]

I saw this on the news a few hours ago.

WikiLeaks

 

[BlueStar]

Y

It's called war. Bad things happen.

Presume you say that when American soldiers and civilians get killed too?

 

[h0ser81]

The sad thing is the main stream media won't cover this story at all. Only those who are aware of WikiLeaks will get to see the real cost of this so called war.

 

[ganons]

You would make a thread like this you anti-American XD

You're lucky you're awesome

bah, defending your countries 'motive'

 

[TrolleyDave]

Well it was never going to be a picnic. I've been reading up on it here.

No, that's totally understandable. War is war, it's ugly, brutal and violent. Sometimes things happen that are objectionable in an atmosphere of peace. It's the revealing of cover-ups and the shattering of propaganda that really interests me in this case.

You would make a thread like this you anti-American XD

You're lucky you're awesome

Heh, of course!

Although I'm not anti-American, I'm anti-American Government. lol

QUOTE(monkat @ Jul 26 2010, 02:32 PM)

It's called war. Bad things happen.

They do indeed. So does that mean you also shrugged off all the terrorist attacks as well? After all, bad things happen in war.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

So if I dragged you to America you wouldn't complain?

 

[TrolleyDave]

So if I dragged you to America you wouldn't complain?

Not once a decent and democratic government with an underlying socialist agenda was installed.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

Not once a decent and democratic government with an underlying socialist agenda was installed.

I'll do it anyway -_-

 

[emigre]

TBH I think this pretty much confirms that planning for the Afghan/Iraq militery movements were just poor. It was touched upon in the Chilcott inquery but this really confirms what a lot if us have ben thinking that there has been a clear lack of thought in this operation. On antoher note teh civilian casualites-wounded figures don't make for pretty reading.

 

[SkH]

Modern Warfare 3?

 

[ProtoKun7]

I heard about this too; I think the first time was the other day, but I only heard the name and not what was actually out, until I listened again today.

Seriously, guys, if you don't want information leaked, then don't tell people stuff.

 

[Sterling]

Take things released on the internet, and within domestic news with a shaker full of salt. Also you have to learn to question things in a purely political BSed society. I wouldn't doubt that civilians were killed, that's just war. Not that this statement makes it right. I am sure other countries have done the same thing. Especially since the terrorists blend in with the locals. I am a true supporter of our military, not only do they help protect our country, but they are helping to train people to protect their own country.

 

[Cermage]

didn't this happen awhile ago? or is this another incident?

i remember the dude got the information by bringing a blank cd into work labelled "Lady Gaga" and burning the information to the disc.

 

[Midna]

Take things released on the internet, and within domestic news with a shaker full of salt. Also you have to learn to question things in a purely political BSed society. I wouldn't doubt that civilians were killed, that's just war. Not that this statement makes it right. I am sure other countries have done the same thing. Especially since the terrorists blend in with the locals. I am a true supporter of our military, not only do they help protect our country, but they are helping to train people to protect their own country.

And the people killed in terrorist attacks in America? I suppose that's just war as well. Oh wait, I see. Casualties are only tolerable if they don't share your nationality.

 

[TrolleyDave]

TBH I think this pretty much confirms that planning for the Afghan/Iraq militery movements were just poor. It was touched upon in the Chilcott inquery but this really confirms what a lot if us have ben thinking that there has been a clear lack of thought in this operation. On antoher note teh civilian casualites-wounded figures don't make for pretty reading.

I still haven't read everything myself, but looking at the numbers I've read I'm actually shocked at how little there are. Although these documents might just be part of a bigger number. Not that that the life of any civilian casualty should ever be shrugged off, one civilian killed is large number in my opinion. It's just I expected more. I'd love to see documents released detailing the actual number of soldiers killed in "friendly fire" for sure though.

And you're totally right, I doubt there was much planning involved. I get the feeling it was more of a case of the higher ups saying "While we're here should we go do what those Commies never could and take Afghanistan - it would prove just how mighty we are"! A mix of greed, opportunism and the American military ego.

I heard about this too; I think the first time was the other day, but I only heard the name and not what was actually out, until I listened again today.

Seriously, guys, if you don't want information leaked, then don't tell people stuff.

You star! That actually made me laugh!

Take things released on the internet, and within domestic news with a shaker full of salt. Also you have to learn to question things in a purely political BSed society. I wouldn't doubt that civilians were killed, that's just war. Not that this statement makes it right. I am sure other countries have done the same thing. Especially since the terrorists blend in with the locals. I am a true supporter of our military, not only do they help protect our country, but they are helping to train people to protect their own country.

I don't doubt that these documents are wholly accurate. The fuss kicked up by the military is enough to show these as being legit. And you're right, civilians are killed in war. Still doesn't make it right like you say, specially when the whole war was started using propaganda and false pretenses. Also, you should stop calling them terrorists. They're enemy combatants, or simply, the enemy. Well, depending on which side of the border your nationality is of course.

Propaganda has taught you to call them terrorists so you immediately have a picture of a demonised enemy, so then when a civilian is killed it makes it easier to swallow.

And top lad for supporting your military, but don't let it blind you to things. Don't forget that the troops sent to Iraq weren't sent there to protect any Western country, they went there to depose Hussein under the pretense that he had WMD's. There were many other legitimate reasons to take him out, he killed and tortured people systamtically, he was a tyrant and dictator, he attempted to ethnically cleanse his country. The list is pretty large. Yet the US/UK governments (yeah ours is just as guilty as yours) decided to put a tale out that Iraq had WMD's. You ever question why?

QUOTE(Cermage @ Jul 26 2010, 11:51 PM)

didn't this happen awhile ago? or is this another incident?

i remember the dude got the information by bringing a blank cd into work labelled "Lady Gaga" and burning the information to the disc.

No, this is something different to the last article. I think these documents have come from that guy, but this is a seperate news article.

 

[ProtoKun7]

Thank you Dave!

didn't this happen awhile ago? or is this another incident?

i remember the dude got the information by bringing a blank cd into work labelled "Lady Gaga" and burning the information to the disc.

Yes, another incident.

Now, of course, they label the CDs as Justin Bieber. No-one would ever check that for top-secret information.

Spoiler

EDIT: 3,500th post. :ninja