Still working to recover. Please don't edit quite yet.

Difference between revisions of "Afghan War Diary"

From Anarchopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
(Start w info from WP)
 
(Move Commentary section.NYT statements rely, for their notability, on a logical fallacy: that because no evidence for a thing was found, the thing did not exist. Otherwise, NYT is just saying, "dunno")
 
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
The '''Afghan War Diary''' is the disclosure of a collection of internal [[United States armed forces|U.S. military]] logs of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]], also called the '''Afghan War documents leak''', which were published by [[Wikileaks]] on {{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010.<ref name=Spiegel1 /><ref name=NYTeditorsnote/> The logs consist of 91,731 documents, covering the period between January 2004 and December 2009.  Most of the documents are classified ''[[Classified information in the United States#Secret|Secret]]''<ref name=NYTeditorsnote>{{cite news | title=Piecing Together the Reports, and Deciding What to Publish | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26editors-note.htm | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> As of 28 July 2010, only 75,000 of the documents have been released to the public, a move which Wikileaks says is "part of a harm minimization process demanded by [the] source".<ref name="canada africa" /><ref name="Wikileaks">{{cite web | title=Afghan War Diary, 2004–2009 | url=http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Afghan_War_Diary,_2004-2010 | publisher=[[Wikileaks]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | accessdate={{Nowrap|28 July}} 2010}}</ref>  Prior to releasing the initial 75,000 documents, Wikileaks made the logs available to ''[[The Guardian]]'',<ref name=GuardianLeaks /><ref>{{cite news | title=Afghanistan: The war logs | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | accessdate=3 August 2010 | location=London | date=4 August 2010}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html | work=The New York Times | first1=Mark | last1=Mazzetti | first2=Jane | last2=Perlez | first3=Eric | last3=Schmitt | first4=Andrew W. | last4=Lehren | title=The War Logs | date=25 July 2010}}</ref> and ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' in its German and English on-line edition<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,708311,00.html "Enthüllung brisanter Kriegsdokumente - Die Afghanistan-Protokolle"]</ref><ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314,00.html "The Afghanistan Protocol - Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It"]</ref> which published reports per previous agreement on that same day, 25 July 2010.<ref name="HowTheGuardianGotTheStory">{{cite news | title=Afghanistan war logs: How the Guardian got the story | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-war-logs-explained-video | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog+world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs | location=London}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>
+
''See also [[Afghan War Diary (public reaction)]], [[WikiLeaks]] and [[WikiLeaks leaks]]''
  
−
The leak, which is considered to be one of the largest in [[Military history of the United States|U.S. military history]],<ref name=GuardianLeaks/><ref>[http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/07/30/02 "From One Transparency Advocate to Another"]</ref> revealed information on the deaths of civilians, increased [[Taliban]] attacks, and involvement by [[Pakistan]] and [[Iran]] in the [[Taliban insurgency|insurgency]].<ref name=Spiegel1 /><ref>{{cite news | title=Afghan war log leak: Around the web | newspaper=[[CBC News]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/26/f-wikileaks-afghanistan-docs-roundup.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|23 July}} 2010}}</ref><ref name="iran-accus" /> [[Wikileaks]] says it does not know the source of the leaked data.<ref name="google1">{{cite news | title= WikiLeaks: We don't know source of leaked data | agency=[[Associated Press]] | publisher=[[Google]] | date={{Nowrap|28 July}} 2010 | url= http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKu1DQoewmBy2do5ctRqUX5efGBAD9H82DRO0 | accessdate={{Nowrap|28 July}} 2010}}</ref>  The three outlets which had received the documents in advance, ''The New York Times'', ''The Guardian'', and ''Der Spiegel'', have all concluded that they are genuine when compared to independent reports.<ref name=Spiegel1>{{cite news | first1=Matthias | last1=Gebauer | first2=John | last2=Goetz | first3=Hans | last3=Hoyng | first4=Susanne | last4=Koelbl | first5=Marcel | last5=Rosenbach | first6=Gregor Peter | last6=Schmitz | title=Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It | newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314,00.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref>
+
The '''Afghan War Diary''' is the disclosure of a collection of internal [[United States armed forces|U.S. military]] logs of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]], also called the '''Afghan War documents leak''', which were published by [[Wikileaks]] on 25 July, 2010.<ref name=Spiegel1 /><ref name=NYTeditorsnote/> The logs consist of 91,731 documents, covering the period between January 2004 and December 2009.  Most of the documents are classified ''[[Classified information in the United States#Secret|Secret]]''<ref name=NYTeditorsnote>{{cite news | title=Piecing Together the Reports, and Deciding What to Publish | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26editors-note.htm | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> As of 28 July 2010, only 75,000 of the documents have been released to the public, a move which Wikileaks says is "part of a harm minimization process demanded by [the] source".<ref name="canada africa" /><ref name="Wikileaks">{{cite web | title=Afghan War Diary, 2004–2009 | url=http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Afghan_War_Diary,_2004-2010 | publisher=[[Wikileaks]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | accessdate={{Nowrap|28 July}} 2010}}</ref>  Prior to releasing the initial 75,000 documents, Wikileaks made the logs available to ''[[The Guardian]]'',<ref name=GuardianLeaks /><ref>{{cite news | title=Afghanistan: The war logs | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | accessdate=3 August 2010 | location=London | date=4 August 2010}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html | work=The New York Times | first1=Mark | last1=Mazzetti | first2=Jane | last2=Perlez | first3=Eric | last3=Schmitt | first4=Andrew W. | last4=Lehren | title=The War Logs | date=25 July 2010}}</ref> and ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' in its German and English on-line edition<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,708311,00.html "Enthüllung brisanter Kriegsdokumente - Die Afghanistan-Protokolle"]</ref><ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314,00.html "The Afghanistan Protocol - Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It"]</ref> which published reports per previous agreement on that same day, 25 July 2010.<ref name="HowTheGuardianGotTheStory">{{cite news | title=Afghanistan war logs: How the Guardian got the story | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-war-logs-explained-video | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog+world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs | location=London}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
The leak, which is considered to be one of the largest in [[Military history of the United States|U.S. military history]],<ref name=GuardianLeaks/><ref>[http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/07/30/02 "From One Transparency Advocate to Another"]</ref> revealed information on the deaths of civilians, increased [[Taliban]] attacks, and involvement by [[Pakistan]] and [[Iran]] in the [[Taliban insurgency|insurgency]].<ref name=Spiegel1 /><ref>{{cite news | title=Afghan war log leak: Around the web | newspaper=[[CBC News]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/26/f-wikileaks-afghanistan-docs-roundup.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|23 July}} 2010}}</ref><ref name="iran-accus" /> [[WikiLeaks]] says it does not know the source of the leaked data.<ref name="google1">{{cite news | title= WikiLeaks: We don't know source of leaked data | agency=[[Associated Press]] | publisher=[[Google]] | date={{Nowrap|28 July}} 2010 | url= http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKu1DQoewmBy2do5ctRqUX5efGBAD9H82DRO0 | accessdate={{Nowrap|28 July}} 2010}}</ref>  The three outlets which had received the documents in advance, ''The New York Times'', ''The Guardian'', and ''Der Spiegel'', have all concluded that they are genuine when compared to independent reports.<ref name=Spiegel1>{{cite news | first1=Matthias | last1=Gebauer | first2=John | last2=Goetz | first3=Hans | last3=Hoyng | first4=Susanne | last4=Koelbl | first5=Marcel | last5=Rosenbach | first6=Gregor Peter | last6=Schmitz | title=Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It | newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314,00.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref>
  
 
''The New York Times'' described the leak as "a six-year archive of classified military documents [that] offers an unvarnished and grim picture of the Afghan war". ''The Guardian'' called the material "one of the biggest leaks in U.S. military history&nbsp;... a devastating portrait of the failing [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|war in Afghanistan]], revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and [[NATO]] commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency".<ref name=GuardianLeaks/>  ''Der Spiegel'' wrote that "the editors in chief of ''Spiegel'', ''The New York Times'' and the ''Guardian'' were 'unanimous in their belief that there is a justified public interest in the material'."<ref name="Spiegel1" />
 
''The New York Times'' described the leak as "a six-year archive of classified military documents [that] offers an unvarnished and grim picture of the Afghan war". ''The Guardian'' called the material "one of the biggest leaks in U.S. military history&nbsp;... a devastating portrait of the failing [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|war in Afghanistan]], revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and [[NATO]] commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency".<ref name=GuardianLeaks/>  ''Der Spiegel'' wrote that "the editors in chief of ''Spiegel'', ''The New York Times'' and the ''Guardian'' were 'unanimous in their belief that there is a justified public interest in the material'."<ref name="Spiegel1" />
Line 21: Line 23:
 
According to ''Der Spiegel'', "the documents clearly show that the Pakistani intelligence agency [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (usually known as the ISI) is the most important accomplice the Taliban has outside of Afghanistan."<ref name=Spiegel2>{{cite news | first1=Matthias | last1=Gebauer | first2=John | last2=Goetz | first3=Hans | last3=Hoyng | first4=Susanne | last4=Koelbl | first5=Marcel | last5=Rosenbach | first6=Gregor Peter | last6=Schmitz | title=Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It: The Secret Enemy in Pakistan | newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314-5,00.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' was especially alarmed by the level of collusion with the Taliban, having concluded that Pakistan "allows 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." ''The Guardian'', however, did not think there was "a convincing smoking gun" for complicity between [[Inter-Services Intelligence|Pakistan intelligence services]] and the Taliban.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Kimberly | last1=Dozier | title=Leaked tales from the front lines paint dark portrait of Afghanistan  | newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] | agency=[[Associated Press]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-condemns-massive-military-leak-exposing-dark-side-of-afghan-war/article1651348/ | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref>
 
According to ''Der Spiegel'', "the documents clearly show that the Pakistani intelligence agency [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (usually known as the ISI) is the most important accomplice the Taliban has outside of Afghanistan."<ref name=Spiegel2>{{cite news | first1=Matthias | last1=Gebauer | first2=John | last2=Goetz | first3=Hans | last3=Hoyng | first4=Susanne | last4=Koelbl | first5=Marcel | last5=Rosenbach | first6=Gregor Peter | last6=Schmitz | title=Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It: The Secret Enemy in Pakistan | newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314-5,00.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' was especially alarmed by the level of collusion with the Taliban, having concluded that Pakistan "allows 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." ''The Guardian'', however, did not think there was "a convincing smoking gun" for complicity between [[Inter-Services Intelligence|Pakistan intelligence services]] and the Taliban.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Kimberly | last1=Dozier | title=Leaked tales from the front lines paint dark portrait of Afghanistan  | newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] | agency=[[Associated Press]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-condemns-massive-military-leak-exposing-dark-side-of-afghan-war/article1651348/ | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref>
  
−
In particular, the leaks discuss an alleged incident in which Pakistan's former ISI spy chief [[Hamid Gul]] met with Afghani insurgents in January 2009, occurring right after alleged Pakistani al-Qaeda figure Osama al-Kini's death by a CIA drone attack. "The meeting attendees were saddened by the news of Zamarai's death and discussed plans to complete Zamarai's last mission by facilitating the movement of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device from Pakistan to Afghanistan through the Khan Pass," leaked reports said. ''The New York Times'' stated that it could not confirm whether or not that the attack ever took place.<ref name=arabiya/>
+
In particular, the leaks discuss an alleged incident in which Pakistan's former ISI spy chief [[Hamid Gul]] met with Afghani insurgents in January 2009, occurring right after alleged Pakistani al-Qaeda figure Osama al-Kini's death by a CIA drone attack. "The meeting attendees were saddened by the news of Zamarai's death and discussed plans to complete Zamarai's last mission by facilitating the movement of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device from Pakistan to Afghanistan through the Khan Pass," leaked reports said.
  
 
The initial web article in ''The New York Times'' on the subject, appearing 25 July was written by Mark Mazzetti, Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt, and Andrew Lehren, and titled "Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert". It was the lead article in the 26 July print edition of the ''Times''.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Mark | last1=Mazzetti | first2=Jane | last2=Perlez | first3=Eric | last3=Schmitt | first4=Andrew W. | last4=Lehren | title=Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> The article provided a wide range of excerpts from the paper, at some points focusing on coalition successes, and at other times excerpting sections that highlighted coalition failures. Many of the excerpts illustrated American frustration with local involvement, quoting the sources, noting that "glimpses of what appear to be Pakistani skullduggery contrast sharply with the frequently rosy public pronouncements of Pakistan as an ally by American officials."
 
The initial web article in ''The New York Times'' on the subject, appearing 25 July was written by Mark Mazzetti, Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt, and Andrew Lehren, and titled "Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert". It was the lead article in the 26 July print edition of the ''Times''.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Mark | last1=Mazzetti | first2=Jane | last2=Perlez | first3=Eric | last3=Schmitt | first4=Andrew W. | last4=Lehren | title=Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> The article provided a wide range of excerpts from the paper, at some points focusing on coalition successes, and at other times excerpting sections that highlighted coalition failures. Many of the excerpts illustrated American frustration with local involvement, quoting the sources, noting that "glimpses of what appear to be Pakistani skullduggery contrast sharply with the frequently rosy public pronouncements of Pakistan as an ally by American officials."
Line 65: Line 67:
  
 
===Role of Special Ops greater than previously revealed===
 
===Role of Special Ops greater than previously revealed===
−
Government accounts of coalition activity were, according to ''The Guardian'', sometimes "misleading".  The British paper cited as an example a press statement that concealed the fact that the real reason for a coalition presence in a particular area was because a group known as [[Task Force 373]] was on a mission to kill or capture [[Abu Laith al-Libi]].<ref>{{cite news | first=Nick | last=Davies | title=Afghanistan war logs: Task Force 373&nbsp;– special forces hunting top Taliban | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/task-force-373-secret-afghanistan-taliban | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | location=London}}</ref>  ''The New York Times'' reported that the U.S. military had given Afghans credit for missions actually carried out by Special Operations commandos. ''The New York Times'' said "over all, the documents do not contradict official accounts of the war. But in some cases the documents show that the American military made misleading public statements".<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | title=Inside the Fog of War: Reports From the Ground in Afghanistan | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26warlogs.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref>
+
Government accounts of coalition activity were, according to ''The Guardian'', sometimes "misleading".  The British paper cited as an example a press statement that concealed the fact that the real reason for a coalition presence in a particular area was because a group known as [[Task Force 373]] was on a mission to kill or capture [[Abu Laith al-Libi]].<ref>{{cite news | first=Nick | last=Davies | title=Afghanistan war logs: Task Force 373&nbsp;– special forces hunting top Taliban | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/task-force-373-secret-afghanistan-taliban | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | location=London}}</ref>  ''The New York Times'' reported that the U.S. military had given Afghans credit for missions actually carried out by Special Operations commandos. Despite these discrepancies, ''The New York Times'', in a 'black-is-white' rhetorical rephrasing said "over all, the documents do not contradict official accounts of the war. But in some cases the documents show that the American military made misleading public statements".<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | title=Inside the Fog of War: Reports From the Ground in Afghanistan | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26warlogs.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref>
  
 
The records log 144 incidents regarding Task Force 373 and involving Afghan civilian casualties, including 195 deaths.<ref name=BinLaden />
 
The records log 144 incidents regarding Task Force 373 and involving Afghan civilian casualties, including 195 deaths.<ref name=BinLaden />
Line 102: Line 104:
 
The leaked documents describe many purported incidents of Taliban and other Afghan insurgent forces attacking civilians. Those forces would also, according to leaked reports, post 'Night Letters' on civilian buildings such as [[mosques]] foretelling death for the inhabitants. In one leak from April 2007, then-[[Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs]] [[Karen Hughes]] requests to verify a video of a 12-year-old [[child soldier]] forced to [[summary execution|kill]] a Pakistani hostage. Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the [[think tank]] [[Foundation for Defense of Democracies]], remarked that "the documents demonstrate just how pervasive the Taliban’s brutality is in this fight".<ref>{{citenews|title=The Taliban's Savagery|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/talibans-savagery|date=3 August 2010|first=Thomas|last=Joscelyn|publisher=''[[The Weekly Standard]]''}}</ref>
 
The leaked documents describe many purported incidents of Taliban and other Afghan insurgent forces attacking civilians. Those forces would also, according to leaked reports, post 'Night Letters' on civilian buildings such as [[mosques]] foretelling death for the inhabitants. In one leak from April 2007, then-[[Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs]] [[Karen Hughes]] requests to verify a video of a 12-year-old [[child soldier]] forced to [[summary execution|kill]] a Pakistani hostage. Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the [[think tank]] [[Foundation for Defense of Democracies]], remarked that "the documents demonstrate just how pervasive the Taliban’s brutality is in this fight".<ref>{{citenews|title=The Taliban's Savagery|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/talibans-savagery|date=3 August 2010|first=Thomas|last=Joscelyn|publisher=''[[The Weekly Standard]]''}}</ref>
  
−
==Commentary==
 
−
===Significance of the disclosure===
 
−
====Wikileaks====
 
−
Wikileaks editor Julian Assange said "it is the most comprehensive history of a war ever to be published, during the course of the war".<ref name=tells-all /> He compared the release of the war logs with the release of the [[Pentagon Papers]] in the 1970s.<ref name=tells-all>{{cite news | title=Afghan leak: Wikileaks Julian Assange tells all | newspaper=[[Channel 4]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/afghan+leak+wikileaks+julian+assange+tells+all/3723392 | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first1=Anna | last1=Doble | first2=Ed | last2=Fraser | title=Secret files reveal 'unseen Afghan war' | newspaper=[[Channel 4]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/secret+files+wikileaks+exposes+aposunseen+afghan+warapos/3723387 | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref>  In an interview with ''Der Spiegel'', Assange said that he believed the release would "change public opinion", and said that "we understand why it is important to protect certain U.S. and ISAF sources."  He added that "the most dangerous men are those who are in charge of war. And they need to be stopped."<ref>{{cite news | title=WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange on the 'War Logs': 'I Enjoy Crushing Bastards' | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708518,00.html | newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] | date=26 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> Assange also claimed that the files "suggest thousands of [[war crime]]s."<ref>{{cite news | title=Files 'suggest thousands of war crimes,' says Wikileaks founder Julian Assange | url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/files-suggest-thousands-of-war-crimes-says-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-14889654.html | newspaper=[[The Belfast Telegraph]] | date=27 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
====News organisations given advanced access to the documents====
 
−
=====''The New York Times''=====
 
−
''The New York Times'' described the war logs as "a six-year archive of classified military documents [that] offers an unvarnished and grim picture of the Afghan war".
 
−
 
−
On the decision to publish, they stated:
 
−
{{blockquote|"Deciding whether to publish secret information is always difficult, and after weighing the risks and public interest, we sometimes chose not to publish. But there are times when the information is of significant public interest, and this is one of those times. The documents illuminate the extraordinary difficulty of what the United States and its allies have undertaken in a way that other accounts have not.
 
−
 
−
Most of the incident reports are marked "secret", a relatively low level of classification. The Times has taken care not to publish information that would harm national security interests. The Times and the other news organizations agreed at the outset that we would not disclose—either in our articles or any of our online supplementary material—anything that was likely to put lives at risk or jeopardize military or antiterrorist operations. We have, for example, withheld any names of operatives in the field and informants cited in the reports".<ref name=NYTeditorsnote/>}}
 
−
 
−
=====''The Guardian''=====
 
−
''The Guardian'' called the material "one of the biggest leaks in U.S. military history&nbsp;... a devastating portrait of the failing [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|war in Afghanistan]], revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and [[NATO]] commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency".<ref name=GuardianLeaks/>
 
−
 
−
''The Guardian'' also reported that [[Daniel Ellsberg]] has described the disclosure as on the scale of his leaking of the [[Pentagon Papers]] in 1971 revealing how the U.S. public was misled about the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name=GuardianEllsberg>{{cite news | first=Richard | last=Norton-Taylor | title=Daniel Ellsberg describes Afghan war logs as on a par with 'Pentagon Papers' | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/27/daniel-ellsberg-war-logs-pentagon-papers | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010 | location=London}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
=====''Der Spiegel''=====
 
−
''Der Spiegel'' wrote that "the editors in chief of ''Spiegel'', ''The New York Times'' and the ''Guardian'' were 'unanimous in their belief that there is a justified public interest in the material{{' "}}.<ref name="Spiegel1"/>
 
−
 
−
====Other views====
 
−
=====United States military=====
 
−
<!-- There is also a Pentagon view here, but I'm not sure where to place it. -->
 
−
US Army officials condemned the public dissimination of military secrets and the White House urged the website WikiLeaks to not publish any more classified documents related to the Afghan war.<ref>[http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Mullen-Leak-of-Afghanistan-Documents-May-Cost-Lives-99720029.html "US Military Officials Condemn Leaks of Afghan War Documents"]</ref><ref>[http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/US-Army-Private-in-Wikileaks-Case-Transferred-to-Military-Jail-in-US-99625149.html "White House Urges WikiLeaks to Not Publish More Secrets"]</ref> U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that it is up to the Justice Department to determine if there would be criminal charges in the release of classified military documents by WikiLeaks, but the website was ''"morally guilty for putting lives at risk"''.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/01/gates.wikileaks/?hpt=T2#fbid=Uplw7ezfGkE | work=CNN | title=Gates: Posting classified war documents was morally wrong | date=1 August 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
On 6 August 2010, U.S. military authorities urged Wikileaks to return the already published 70.000 documents, and the other 15,000 records the website was expected to post soon as well, which contained sensitive details of Afghans who had assisted ISAF forces. Pentagon spokesman [[Geoff S. Morrell|Geoff Morrell]] said "If doing the right thing is not good enough for them, then we will figure out what alternatives we have to compel them to do the right thing."<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/05/AR2010080504535.html | work=The Washington Post | first=Craig | last=Whitlock | title=Pentagon demands that WikiLeaks give back leaked reports and not post others | date=6 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/06/wikileaks-pressure-pentagon-military-files | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=David | last=Batty | title=Pentagon increases pressure on WikiLeaks to return military files | date=6 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7930912/Pentagon-demands-return-of-leaked-documents.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Robert | last=Winnett | title=Pentagon demands return of leaked documents | date=6 August 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0806/Pentagon-threatens-to-compel-WikiLeaks-to-hand-over-Afghan-war-data "Pentagon threatens to 'compel' WikiLeaks to hand over Afghan war data"]</ref> On 7 August 2010, spokesman ''"[[Daniel Schmitt]]"'' said that Wikileaks would continue to publish secret files from governments around the world despite the U.S. demands to cancel plans for further release, claiming that this directly contributed to the public's understanding of the conflict and rejecting allegations that the publication was a threat to America's national security or put lives at risk.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/07/AR2010080701119.html }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
=====Afghan authorities=====
 
−
According to a statement by [[Rangin Dadfar Spanta]], security advisor of the Afghan government and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the allies of Afghanistan had failed to pay necessary attention to prevent the support for international terrorism and to eliminate its hideouts and centres that can create a major threat to security and stability in the region. ''"The content of these documents reveal that Afghanistan has been righteous in its stance about the rise of terrorism and political and military discrepancies in counter-terrorism struggle"''.<ref>[http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/155-afghan-allies-have-not-paid-attention-to-the-region-spanta "Afghan Allies Have not Paid Attention to the Region: Spanta"]</ref>
 
−
 
−
=====Council on Foreign Relations=====
 
−
Daniel Markey, a senior fellow with the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] and former [[South Asia]] analyst for the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]], said, "Whether WikiLeaks uncovered anything new isn't actually important&nbsp;– it's on the front page of every newspaper in the country; the media is now focused on Afghanistan, and that makes it a big deal. [...]  The public is now more skeptical about the administration's strategy in Afghanistan than they were last week, and that makes it real."<ref name="politico">{{cite news | first1=Glenn | last1=Thrush | first2=Josh | last2=Gerstein | url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40251.html | title=Leaks loom over W.H. war strategy | newspaper=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]] | date=27 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
=====''Los Angeles Times''=====
 
−
An editorial in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' stated that comparisons to the Pentagon Papers was an exaggeration as the documents lacked the policy implications of the papers, but that "no democracy can or should fight a war without the consent of its people, and that consent is only meaningful if it is predicated on real information".<ref name="WikiLeaks wasn't wrong">{{cite news | title=WikiLeaks wasn't wrong | url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-wikileaks-20100727,0,4123134.story | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=26 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> The LA Times did seem to indicate the documents have parallels with the Pentagon Papers in being published during a subsequent administration "the documents offer insight primarily into the war-fighting of the recently departed George W. Bush administration; the Pentagon Papers ended with the Johnson administration and were not published until Richard Nixon was president."<ref name="WikiLeaks wasn't wrong"/>
 
−
 
−
=====''The Washington Post''=====
 
−
An Editorial in ''The Washington Post'' stated "they hardly provide a secret history of the war or disclose previously unknown malfeasance" and that "tends to fill out and confirm the narrative of Afghanistan between 2004 and 2009 that most Americans are already familiar with."<ref name='Washpost'>{{cite news | title=Wikileaks' release of classified field reports on Afghan war reveals not much | date=27 July 2010 | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/26/AR2010072604626.html | accessdate = 1 August 2010}}</ref> ''The Post'' commented that it hardly merited the media hype and was not comparable to the Pentagon Papers or the [[Stasi#The MfS files after the end of the SED regime|MfS files]]<ref name=Washpost /> The editorial argued Wikileaks' founder revealed his organization's antiwar agenda by making the claim it contained evidence for war crimes prosecutions.<ref name=Washpost />
 
−
 
−
=====''Foreign Policy''=====
 
−
Blake Hounshell wrote in his blog on ''[[Foreign Policy]]'' that, after reading "selected documents", he believed that there is less new information in the documents than ''The New York Times'', ''The Guardian'', and ''Der Spiegel'' were reporting.<ref name=FP-Hounshell>{{cite web | first=Blake | last=Hounshell | title=The logs of war: Do the Wikileaks documents really tell us anything new? | date=25 July 2010 | publisher=[[The Washington Post Company]] | url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/25/the_logs_of_war | work=[[Foreign Policy]] | accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref> Hounshell indicated how careful both ''The Guardian'' and ''The New York Times'' were to note "the raw reports in the Wikileaks archive often seem poorly sourced and present implausible information."<ref name=FP-Hounshell /> Commenting on the significance of the documents:
 
−
{{blockquote|I'd say that so far the documents confirm what we already know about the war: It's going badly; Pakistan is not the world's greatest ally and is probably playing a double game; coalition forces have been responsible for far too many civilian casualties; and the United States doesn't have very reliable intelligence in Afghanistan.<ref name=FP-Hounshell />}}
 
−
 
−
===Legality of the disclosure===
 
−
Ann Woolner wrote in an editorial in the ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' publication that Wikileaks' publication of the documents is legally allowed in the United States because the group did not solicit the documents.<ref name=BloombergWoolner>{{cite news | first1=Ann | last1=Woolner | title=WikiLeaks Secret Records Dump Stays in Legal Clear | newspaper=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] | date={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/wikileaks-secret-records-dump-stays-in-legal-clear-ann-woolner.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref> Asking someone to leak secret information, "with intent or reason to believe that the information to be obtained is to be used to the injury of the United States",<ref name=1WW/> would violate the United States' [[Espionage Act of 1917]] In violation of the post-WW1 accord signed into law by then President Woodrow Wilson.<ref name=1WW>{{cite web | first=Michael | last=Duffy | url=http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/espionageact.htm | title=Primary Documents - U.S. Espionage Act, 15 June 1917 | publisher=firstworldwar.com | date=22 August 2009 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/Wikileaks_Afghan_War_Reports_Stir_Debates_On_Journalism_Law/2111395.html "WikiLeaks' Afghan War Reports Stir Debates On Journalism, Law"]</ref>
 
−
 
−
==Reactions==
 
−
{{flag|EU}} An official from the [[European Union]] has told [[The Associated Press]] "that the organization 'wants to stay as far from this as possible.{{' "}}<ref name="CTV" />
 
−
 
−
{{flag|Afghanistan}} While the [[Afghan government]] has stated that the majority of the leaked documents did not comprise new information, it has expressed concern over both Pakistan's connection with the Taliban and the United States' involvement in their funding:{{Citation needed|date=July 2010|reason=precise citation with attributed quotes needed here. CNN cite does quote Herawi's call for US to do something about ISI but nothing about funding. Also needs rewrite because "their" is ambiguous}} [[Siamak Herawi]], deputy spokesman for the office of the President,<ref name="herawi">{{cite web|url=http://www.president.gov.af/sroot_eng.aspx?id=90 |title=President Office &#124;CONTACT THE SPOKESPERSON |publisher=President.gov.af |date=10 June 2009 |accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> stated, "There should be serious action taken against the [[Inter-Services Intelligence]], who has a direct connection with the [[terrorist]]s. These reports show that the U.S. was already aware of the ISI connection with the [[al Qaeda]] terrorist network. The United States is overdue on the ISI issue, and now the United States should answer."<ref name="CNN">{{cite news | title=World powers react to WikiLeaks' documents | newspaper=[[CNN]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/26/afghanistan.wikileaks.reaction/#fbid=DgdbaWvUDTp | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
{{flag|Australia}} [[Australian Prime Minister]] [[Julia Gillard]] has stated that the [[Department of Defence (Australia)|Department of Defence]] will investigate the content of the leaks to examine what the implications are for Australia which had 1,500 troops deployed in Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite news | first=Kim | last=Landers | title=Defence taskforce to examine leaked war files | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/27/2965693.htm |date=27 July 2010 | work=[[ABC News and Current Affairs|ABC News Online]] | publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref> This investigation concluded in October 2010 and found that the leaked documents "had not had a direct significant adverse impact on Australia's national interests".<ref>{{cite web|title=Afghan WikiLeaks no threat |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/defencenews/stories/2010/Oct/1026b.htm|publisher=Australian Department of Defence|accessdate=29 October 2010|date=26 October 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
{{flag|Canada}} The Canadian [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] [[Lawrence Cannon]] said the leak could endanger Canadian troops.<ref>{{cite news | title=Canada says leaked Afghan papers could hurt troops | url=http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE66P4G620100726 |date=26 July 2010 | publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]] |accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref> Canada also disputed one of the records, saying it inaccurately described an incident as friendly fire.<ref>{{cite news | title=DND, families of dead soldiers say leaked friendly-fire report is wrong | url=http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/840583--dnd-families-of-dead-soldiers-say-leaked-friendly-fire-report-is-wrong |date=27 July 2010 | newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] | agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
Another document suggests that a Canadian was among the casualties in a helicopter that was destroyed by heat-seeking missiles. The document indicates that the U.S. wanted Canada to put pressure on [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[South Africa]], where the U.S. believed Taliban fundraising was taking place.<ref name=CTV /> The documents claim that American diplomats spoke with two senior Canadian Foreign Affairs officials in their appeal for the Canadian government to join the U.S. government in issuing a joint diplomatic rebuke to Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The documents also allege that Canada was asked to rebuke the [[United Arab Emirates]] independently over alleged militant fundraising.<ref name="canada africa">{{cite news | title=S. Africa suspected of Taliban fundraising: memo | newspaper=[[CBC News]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/26/cannon-afghanistan-leaked-documents-iran.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
One document suggests that a Canadian [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules]] was hit with an [[anti-aircraft weapon]] fired by the Taliban during takeoff. The document states that the C-130's landing gear and some of its [[fuselage]] was destroyed by a 14.5&nbsp;mm round as the aircraft departed from the western province of [[Farah Province|Farah]], with the report stating, "It is unusual that insurgents would engage aircraft in such close proximity to an airfield with a weapon of this caliber." The documents also say that a number of Canadian unmanned drones have crashed and that in one instance, locals removed a vehicle's technology before soldiers could recover it.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/27/wikileak-document-hercules.html | newspaper=[[CBC News]] | title=Canadian aircraft hit by Taliban: leaked report | date=27 July 2010 | accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
Cannon refused to comment on the documents, saying that they had "nothing to do with Canada" and denied the Canadian government was misleading its citizens on the war in Afghanistan.<ref name="canada africa" /> [[New Democratic Party]] leader [[Jack Layton]] said that the documents "undermines the confidence" Canadian citizens have in their government and called on politicians to "get to the bottom of" the situation regarding the friendly fire report.<ref name="CBC Rick" />
 
−
 
−
{{flag|Germany}} The [[Germany|German]] government has stated that the documents could place its 4,600 troops in danger, and condemns their release.<ref name="german-reaction">{{cite news | title=US fed up with Germany's war effort, files show | newspaper=[[The Local]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20100726-28751.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010}}</ref> During a meeting in [[Brussels]], [[Guido Westerwelle]], the German [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]], has suggested that the entirety should be "carefully examined, to see what possible new revelations there might be".<ref name="german-reaction-2">{{cite news | title=Afghanistan war logs: as it happened | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/jul/26/afghanistan-war-logs-wikileaks | accessdate={{Nowrap|27 July}} 2010 | location=London | first1=Richard | last1=Adams | first2=Haroon | last2=Siddique | first3=Matthew | last3=Weaver}}</ref> In general, the government "has shown little alarm over the release of the documents", with a spokesman from the [[Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)|Federal Ministry of Defence]] stating that there was "nothing newsworthy"; however, opposition party [[Alliance '90/The Greens|The Greens]] welcomed the release of the files, with [[Claudia Roth]] stating that "[the] Wikileaks documents prove just how dramatic the situation in Afghanistan is", and "show the lengths the allies are prepared to go to in their fight for more stability."<ref name="german-reaction-2" />
 
−
 
−
The Greens also showed distrust in the federal government over the lack of disclosure of U.S. special forces activities in German-controlled areas. [[Omid Nouripour]], the security spokesman for the party, said, "On our reading of the U.S. documents, it is disturbing how little the federal government has informed the parliament about the activities of American special forces in German areas. We demand an immediate explanation from the federal government as to what they know about the missions. We will push with all force for answers."<ref name="german-reaction" />
 
−
 
−
{{flag|India}} The [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] said:<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/wikileaks-india-says-pak-must-stop-sponsorship-of-terrorism-40215?cp | title=WikiLeaks: India says Pak must stop 'sponsorship of terrorism' | date=27 July 2010 | accessdate=29 July 2010 | publisher=[[NDTV]]}}</ref> {{blockquote|"We have seen media reports about classified information, supposedly from US government sources, put out in public domain, on support to terrorism by [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]] - Pakistan's military intelligence agency. Sponsorship of terrorism, as an instrument of policy, is wholly condemnable and must cease forthwith. The utilisation of territory under Pakistan's control to provide sanctuaries for recruiting and sustaining terrorist groups, and to direct terrorist activity against neighbors, must stop if our region is to attain its full potential for peaceful development."}}
 
−
 
−
{{flag|Pakistan}} Pakistani President [[Asif Ali Zardari]] announced via spokesman [[Farhatullah Babar]] that allegations about [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]'s involvement "have been regurgitated in the past. Also, these represent low-level intelligence reports and do not represent a convincing smoking gun. I do not see any convincing evidence." The spokesman continued rhetorically, asking if "those who are alleging that Pakistan is playing a double game are also asserting that President Zardari is presiding over an apparatus that is coordinating attacks on the general headquarters, [[mosque]]s, shrines, schools and killing Pakistani citizens?"<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40251_Page2.html#ixzz0uxlLC9B8 | title=Leaks loom over W.H. war strategy | newspaper=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]] | date=27 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> Pakistan's ambassador to the United States [[Husain Haqqani]] on Sunday denounced the leak of secret files calling them as “irresponsible,” saying it consisted of “unprocessed” reports from the field. “The documents circulated by Wikileaks do not reflect the current onground realities,” he said in a statement.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-afghan+war+leak+irresponsible+inaccurate+haqqani--bi-04 | title=Afghan war leak 'irresponsible': Haqqani | newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] | date=26 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
A senior ISI official denied the allegations, saying they were from raw intelligence reports that had not been verified and were meant to impugn the reputation of the spy agency. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the agency's policy. Former ISI Chief [[Hamid Gul]], who headed the agency in the late 1980s when Pakistan and the U.S. were supporting militants in their fight against the [[Soviet]]s in Afghanistan, denied the allegations that he was working with the Taliban, saying "these leaked documents against me are fiction and nothing else."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-isi-denounces-us-intelligence-reports-ss-10 | title=ISI denounces US intelligence reports | newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] | date=26 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
Politicians and defence analysts critically commented on leaks and the western media in using the ISI card while not highlighting most of the civilian casualties resulting from bombing of [[NATO]] forces like how U.S. special forces dropped six 2,000&nbsp;lb bombs on a compound where they believed a “high-value individual” was hiding, after “ensuring there were no innocent Afghans in the surrounding area”. In fact, up to 300 civilians had died in those attacks.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
 
−
 
−
{{flag|United Kingdom}} On July 28, Britain announced that it would launch two new inquiries into the country's role in the war. A committee member said the launching of the inquiries had nothing to do with the Wikileaks documents.<ref>{{cite web | title=Britain to launch Afghan war inquiry | url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=136666&sectionid=351021806 | publisher=[[Press TV]] | date=29 July 2010 | accessdate=30 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
{{flag|United States}} [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[James L. Jones]] and Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, [[Husain Haqqani]], both condemned [[Wikileaks]] for an "irresponsible" disclosure.<ref>{{cite news | first=Roger | last=Runningen | title=U.S. Condemns Release of Documents on Afghan War | newspaper=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] | date={{Nowrap|25 July}} 2010 | url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-25/u-s-denounces-publication-of-classified-documents-on-war-in-afghanistan.html | accessdate={{Nowrap|26 July}} 2010}}</ref> White House National Security Advisor James Jones issued a statement to reporters shortly before the documents were posted online, saying the leaks were “irresponsible” but would not impact U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The United States strongly condemns the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organizations which could put the lives of Americans and our partners at risk, and threaten our national security," he said in his statement, "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."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/12-us+condemns+leak+alleging+pakistan+spy-insurgent+links--bi-03 | title=US condemns leak alleging Pakistan spy-insurgent links | newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] | date=26 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
**Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes stated that "[since] taking office, President Obama has been very clear and candid with the American people about the challenges that we face in Afghanistan and Pakistan.&nbsp;[...] It is important to note that the time period reflected in the documents is January 2004 to December 2009. The war in Afghanistan was under-resourced for many years.&nbsp;[...] On Dec. 1, 2009, President Obama announced a new strategy and new resources for Afghanistan and Pakistan precisely because of the grave situation there," and that they "strongly condemn the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organizations that put the lives of the U.S. and partner service members at risk and threatens our national security."<ref name=Spiegel1 /><ref>[http://www.centcom.mil/en/news/statement-of-national-security-advisor-gen-james-jones-on-wikileaks "Statement of National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones on Wikileaks"]</ref>
 
−
**Representative [[Dennis Kucinich]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]) of [[Ohio]] said "These documents provide a fuller picture of what we have long known about Afghanistan: The war is going badly. We have to show the ability to respond to what’s right in front of our face: This war is no longer justifiable under any circumstances."<ref name="csm">{{cite news | first=Gail | last=Russell Chaddock | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0727/Congress-s-response-to-WikiLeaks-shoot-the-messenger | title=Congress's response to WikiLeaks: shoot the messenger | newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=27 July 2010 |accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref> [[Senate Foreign Relations Committee]] chairman Senator [[John Kerry]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]) of [[Massachusetts]] said "However illegally these documents came to light, they raise serious questions about the reality of America's policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan. Those policies are at a critical stage and these documents may very well underscore the stakes and make the calibrations needed to get the policy right more urgent."<ref name="csm"/> In a later release he was quoted as saying "All of us [are] concerned that after nine years of war ... the Taliban appear to be as strong as they have been."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gf-LrC8N0v5YdSCKyj1VpyZxImOA | title=Top US senator: Don't 'overhype' Afghan war leak | publisher=[[Google]] | agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] | date=28 July 2010 | accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
[[Taliban]] spokesperson, [[Zabihullah Mujahid]], has stated they are inspecting the leaked documents which contain the names, tribes, and family information of Afghan informants who were helping the US. "We knew about the spies and people who collaborate with U.S. forces," he said. "We will investigate through our own secret service whether the people mentioned are really spies working for the U.S. If they are U.S. spies, then we know how to punish them."<ref>{{cite news | first=Ravi | last=Somaiya | url=http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/30/taliban-says-it-will-target-names-exposed-by-wikileaks.html | title=Taliban Says It Will Target Names Exposed by WikiLeaks | newspaper=[[Newsweek]] | date=30 July 2010 | accessdate=31 July 2010}}</ref>
 
−
This statement comes after the Taliban has recently begun intimidating and brutally executing those who cooperate with [[NATO]] forces.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jonathan | last=Miller | title=Taliban hunt Wikileaks outed Afghan informers | url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/taliban+hunt+wikileaks+outed+afghan+informers/3727667 | date=30 July 2010 | newspaper=[[Channel 4]] | accessdate=1 August 2010}}</ref>
 
−
 
−
==Reactions of human rights groups==
 
−
A coalition of five human-rights organizations addressed Julian Assange, founder and editor of the Wikileaks website, expressing their concerns for the safety of persons identified in the published documents. These human-rights groups were [[Amnesty International]], [[Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict]] (CIVIC), [[Open Society Institute]] (OSI), the [[Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission]] and the Kabul office of the [[International Crisis Group]] (ICG), all worried about the execution of Afghan civilians by the Taliban and other insurgent groups. The AIHRC published figures showing that executions had soared in the first seven months of 2010 to 197, from a total of 225 in all of 2009. The victims were often persons who supported the Afghan government, or their family members, who may have come into contact with the U.S. or other international forces.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/human-rights-groups-ask-wikileaks-to-censor-files-2049098.html | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Jerome | last=Taylor | title=Human rights groups ask Wikileaks to censor files | date=11 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703428604575419580947722558.html?mod=WSJEUROPE_hpp_MIDDLESecondNews | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Jeanne | last=Whalen | title=Rights Groups Join Criticism of WikiLeaks | date=9 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/08/10/wikileaks.rights.groups/#fbid=AjJOEdPX461 | work=CNN | title=Rights groups express concerns about WikiLeaks | date=10 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/10/afghanistan-war-logs-wikileaks-human-rights-groups | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Matthew | last=Weaver | title=Afghanistan war logs: WikiLeaks urged to remove thousands of names | date=10 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10934113 | work=BBC News | title=Wikileaks asked to edit Afghan names from US files | date=10 August 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/2010/08/wikileaks-urged-to-remove-thousands-of-names.html "WikiLeaks Urged to Remove Thousands of Names"]</ref>
 
−
 
−
On 12 August 2010, the international press watchdog organisation [[Reporters Without Borders]] (RWB) accused WikiLeaks of "incredible irresponsibility" after the website said it "absolutely" would release the remaining 15,000 documents. In an open letter to Assange, [[Jean-François Julliard]], RWB secretary-general, and [[Clothilde Le Coz]],
 
−
RWB representative in Washington DC, wrote that the publication was "highly dangerous," particularly when it named Afghan informants.<ref>[http://en.rsf.org/united-states-open-letter-to-wikileaks-founder-12-08-2010,38130.html "Open letter to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: ‘‘A bad precedent for the Internet’s future’’"]</ref><ref>[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/reporters-without-borders-says-wikileaks-irresponsible/story-e6frf7lf-1225904776147 "Reporters Without Borders says Wikileaks 'irresponsible'"]</ref><ref>[http://www.ifex.org/united_states/2010/08/12/open_letter_to_wikileaks/ "Campaigns and Advocacy - Open letter to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: "A bad precedent for the Internet's future," RSF says"]</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/12/reporters-borders-wikileaks-reckless/ | work=Fox News | title=Reporters Without Borders: WikiLeaks Was Reckless | date=12 August 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/12/wikileaks-preparing-release-more-afghan-files/ "WikiLeaks preparing to release more Afghan files"]</ref>
 
  
 
==Source of the leak==
 
==Source of the leak==

Latest revision as of 11:03, 4 December 2010

See also Afghan War Diary (public reaction), WikiLeaks and WikiLeaks leaks

The Afghan War Diary is the disclosure of a collection of internal U.S. military logs of the War in Afghanistan, also called the Afghan War documents leak, which were published by Wikileaks on 25 July, 2010.[1][2] The logs consist of 91,731 documents, covering the period between January 2004 and December 2009. Most of the documents are classified Secret[2] As of 28 July 2010, only 75,000 of the documents have been released to the public, a move which Wikileaks says is "part of a harm minimization process demanded by [the] source".[3][4] Prior to releasing the initial 75,000 documents, Wikileaks made the logs available to The Guardian,[5][6] The New York Times[7] and Der Spiegel in its German and English on-line edition[8][9] which published reports per previous agreement on that same day, 25 July 2010.[10][11]

The leak, which is considered to be one of the largest in U.S. military history,[5][12] revealed information on the deaths of civilians, increased Taliban attacks, and involvement by Pakistan and Iran in the insurgency.[1][13][14] WikiLeaks says it does not know the source of the leaked data.[15] The three outlets which had received the documents in advance, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel, have all concluded that they are genuine when compared to independent reports.[1]

The New York Times described the leak as "a six-year archive of classified military documents [that] offers an unvarnished and grim picture of the Afghan war". The Guardian called the material "one of the biggest leaks in U.S. military history ... a devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan, revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and NATO commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency".[5] Der Spiegel wrote that "the editors in chief of Spiegel, The New York Times and the Guardian were 'unanimous in their belief that there is a justified public interest in the material'."[1]

Some time after the first dissemination by WikiLeaks, the US Justice Department were considering the use of the U.S. Espionage Act of 1917 to prevent WikiLeaks from posting the remaining 15,000 secret war documents it claimed to possess.[16][17][18]

Background[edit]

Main article: Wikileaks


In June 2010, Guardian journalist Nick Davies and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange established that the US army had built a huge database with six years of sensitive military intelligence material, to which many thousands of US soldiers had access and some of them had been able to download copies, and WikiLeaks had one copy which it proposed to publish online, via a series of uncensorable global servers.[19]

Wikileaks describes itself as "a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public."[20] In an interview with the U.K.'s Channel 4, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said that "we have a stated commitment to a particular kind of process and objective, and that commitment is to get censored material out and never to take it down." He contrasted the group with other media outlets by saying that "other journalists try to verify sources. We don't do that, we verify documents. We don't care where it came from." He denied that the group has an inherent bias against the Afghanistan War, saying that "We don't have a view about whether the war should continue or stop â€“ we do have a view that it should be prosecuted as humanely as possible." However, he also said that he believes the leaked information will turn world public opinion to think more negatively of the war.[21]

An Obama administration statement disputed the self-reported status of WikiLeaks, stating that it "is not an objective news outlet but rather an organization that opposes U.S. policy in Afghanistan."[22] Journalist Will Heaven of The Daily Telegraph has said that WikiLeaks was not politically neutral when it fed its information to the left-leaning newspapers The Guardian, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel instead of releasing the data openly. He said that the selectivity of the leak "contravene[d] its own mission statement â€“ that crowdsourcing and open data are paramount."[23] The Toronto Sun has referred to Assange's statements that "This material shines light on the everyday brutality and squalor of war" and "The archive will change public opinion and it will change the opinion of people in positions of political and diplomatic influence" as evidence that he has an anti-war mission.[24]

Issues raised[edit]

Allegations of foreign support for the Taliban[edit]

Pakistan[edit]

According to Der Spiegel, "the documents clearly show that the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (usually known as the ISI) is the most important accomplice the Taliban has outside of Afghanistan."[25] The New York Times was especially alarmed by the level of collusion with the Taliban, having concluded that Pakistan "allows 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." The Guardian, however, did not think there was "a convincing smoking gun" for complicity between Pakistan intelligence services and the Taliban.[26]

In particular, the leaks discuss an alleged incident in which Pakistan's former ISI spy chief Hamid Gul met with Afghani insurgents in January 2009, occurring right after alleged Pakistani al-Qaeda figure Osama al-Kini's death by a CIA drone attack. "The meeting attendees were saddened by the news of Zamarai's death and discussed plans to complete Zamarai's last mission by facilitating the movement of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device from Pakistan to Afghanistan through the Khan Pass," leaked reports said.

The initial web article in The New York Times on the subject, appearing 25 July was written by Mark Mazzetti, Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt, and Andrew Lehren, and titled "Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert". It was the lead article in the 26 July print edition of the Times.[27] The article provided a wide range of excerpts from the paper, at some points focusing on coalition successes, and at other times excerpting sections that highlighted coalition failures. Many of the excerpts illustrated American frustration with local involvement, quoting the sources, noting that "glimpses of what appear to be Pakistani skullduggery contrast sharply with the frequently rosy public pronouncements of Pakistan as an ally by American officials."

"The Guardian" has a very different take on this. Its Sunday, 25 July 2010 article by Declan Walsh states: "But for all their eye-popping details, the intelligence files, which are mostly collated by junior officers relying on informants and Afghan officials, fail to provide a convincing smoking gun for ISI complicity. Most of the reports are vague, filled with incongruent detail, or crudely fabricated. The same characters – famous Taliban commanders, well-known ISI officials – and scenarios repeatedly pop up. And few of the events predicted in the reports subsequently occurred. A retired senior American officer said ground-level reports were considered to be a mixture of "rumours, bullshit and second-hand information" and were weeded out as they passed up the chain of command."[28]

The Obama administration, in response to the leaks, re-expressed their long-held doubts about links between Pakistan intelligence agents and Afghan insurgents. An anonymous official said to Al Arabiya, "I don't think anyone who follows this issue will find it surprising that there are concerns about ISI and safe havens in Pakistan.[22]

Iran[edit]

Evidence that Iran provided extensive assistance to the Taliban was also revealed. Coming from sources such as Afghan spies and paid informants, Iranian involvement in Afghanistan steadily widened from 2004 to today and constituted armaments, money, and physical deployment of anti-NATO militants.[14] Iran denies supporting the militants.[14]

North Korea[edit]

The documents, wrote journalist Jeff Stein of the Washington Post, stated that Hezb-e-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Amin al-Haq, a financial advisor to Osama Bin Ladin, both flew to North Korea on 19 November 2005, and purchased remote controlled rockets to be used against American and coalition aircraft. Stein cautioned that he has found no corroborating reports of North Korean involvement in Taliban armaments dealing.[29]

Civilian casualties[edit]

Template:see Hundreds of civilians have been killed by coalition forces in several instances that were not previously revealed.[5][30][31] The press listed several examples of such previously unreported incidents of civilian deaths.[32] David Leigh of The Guardian wrote:

They range from the shootings of individual innocents to the often massive loss of life from air strikes, which eventually led President Hamid Karzai to protest publicly that the US was treating Afghan lives as "cheap". When civilian family members are actually killed in Afghanistan, their relatives do, in fairness, get greater solatia payments than cans of beans and Hershey bars. The logs refer to sums paid of 100,000 Afghani per corpse, equivalent to about £1,500.[32]

In one incident, a U.S. patrol machine-gunned a bus, wounding or killing 15 of its passengers.[33]

On 4 March 2007, in the Shinwar shooting, U.S. Marines opened fire on civilians after witnessing a suicide bombing and supposedly coming under small arms fire. The Guardian reported their actions: "The marines made a frenzied escape [from the scene of the bombing], opening fire with automatic weapons as they tore down a six-mile stretch of highway, hitting almost anyone in their way â€“ teenage girls in the fields, motorists in their cars, old men as they walked along the road. Nineteen unarmed civilians were killed and 50 wounded." The military report of the incident (written by the same soldiers involved in it) later failed to make any reference to the deaths and injuries and none of the soldiers involved were charged or disciplined.[34]

On 21 March 2007, CIA paramilitaries fired on a civilian man who was running from them. The man, Shum Khan, was deaf and mute and did not hear their warnings.[32][35]

In 2007, documents detail how US special forces dropped six 2,000 lb bombs on a compound where they believed a “high-value individual” was hiding, after “ensuring there were no innocent Afghans in the surrounding area”. A senior U.S. commander reported that 150 Taliban had been killed. Locals, however, reported that up to 300 civilians had died.[36]

On 16 August 2007, Polish troops mortared the village of Nangar Khel, killing five people — including a pregnant woman and her baby — in what The Guardian describes as an apparent revenge attack shortly after experiencing an IED explosion.[32][37]

According to The Guardian, the logs also detail "how the Taliban have caused growing carnage with a massive escalation of their roadside bombing campaign, which has killed more than 2,000 civilians to date".[5]

Friendly-fire casualties[edit]

A significant number of documents describe unreported or previously misleading friendly fire incidents between Afghan police and army forces, coalition forces, and the U.S. military.

A document dating 3 September 2006 suggests that four Canadian soldiers died in the Panjwaye District of Afghanistan during Operation Medusa, when an American jet dropped a bomb on a building they occupied during the second day of the operation. Seven other Canadian soldiers and one civilian were also reported to have been wounded in the attack.[38][39] At the time, the Canadian military reported that the deaths and injuries were caused by a firefight with the Taliban, which it still insists. Michel Drapeau, a former colonel with the Canadian Forces, commented that the document is disturbing, due to it differing from the military's report at the time of the soldiers' deaths, which could make the document incorrect. The Canadian military insists it had not been misleading facts about deaths of Canadian soldiers.[39][40] Former Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier also rejects the document and maintains the deaths were due to enemy fire,[41] as do some of the deceased soldiers' families.[39][42]

A document from 11 June 2007 details an incident where Task Force 373 engaged in a firefight with what were believed to be insurgents. An airstrike was called in, which killed seven Afghan police officers, and injured four others. Nangarhar Province governor Gul Agha Sherzai had labelled the incident a misunderstanding.[43][44]

Less than 48 hours after the documents were leaked, the UK's Ministry of Defense released a statement[45] announcing a new friendly fire death in Afghanistan.

"The Ministry of Defense must confirm that the death of this soldier is being investigated as a suspected friendly fire incident."

The Ministry had previously announced[46] an investigation in to a friendly fire incident in 2009 in Helmand province.

Role of al-Qaeda[edit]

The war logs made clear that suicide bombing, normally carried out by non-Afghan, foreign fighters, was increasing and claim that they were nurtured by al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, whose influence was pervasive and possibly growing. A report generated September 2004 stated that terrorists had been assigned by Bin Laden to conduct a suicidal attack against the Afghan president Hamid Karzai, during a press conference or a meeting held. Another report, in September 2008, spoke of co-ordinated, multinational al-Qaeda attack planning. More suicide bombings allegedly were planned with al-Qaeda's Afghan allies, such as the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin militia led by the notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Numerous reports linked Bin Laden and al-Qaeda to insurgent activities. In one report, al-Qaeda was also claimed to be involved in a plan to manufacture chemical weapons payloads for rocket-propelled grenades.[47][48]

Role of Special Ops greater than previously revealed[edit]

Government accounts of coalition activity were, according to The Guardian, sometimes "misleading". The British paper cited as an example a press statement that concealed the fact that the real reason for a coalition presence in a particular area was because a group known as Task Force 373 was on a mission to kill or capture Abu Laith al-Libi.[49] The New York Times reported that the U.S. military had given Afghans credit for missions actually carried out by Special Operations commandos. Despite these discrepancies, The New York Times, in a 'black-is-white' rhetorical rephrasing said "over all, the documents do not contradict official accounts of the war. But in some cases the documents show that the American military made misleading public statements".[50]

The records log 144 incidents regarding Task Force 373 and involving Afghan civilian casualties, including 195 deaths.[44]

Detainment facilities and procedures[edit]

Template:See The leak lends hard numbers such as prisoner head counts and prisoner transfer dates to existing journalistic concerns around certain detainment facilities, such as Bagram Theater Internment Facility, and their practices.[51]

Taliban use of heat-seeking missiles[edit]

The New York Times reported that the documents reveal the Taliban have used heat-seeking missiles to down coalition aircraft. The U.S. military had not previously acknowledged that the Taliban possessed these weapons.[50]

Informants named[edit]

Template:Citation-style The leak reportedly names hundreds of Afghan informants. The Times offered as examples[52]

  • a 2008 report that includes a detailed interview with a Taliban fighter considering defection and ends with "[t]he meeting ended with [named person] agreeing to meet intel personnel." Both his father's name and village are also included in the report;
  • a report that read "[named person] said he would be killed if he got caught interacting with any coalition forces, which is why he hides when we go into [named location]".

The paper also found that a man killed by the Taliban two years ago after being suspected of spying for American forces was named in the logs and described as "highly pro-Government of Afghanistan and Coalition Forces. He should be taken seriously in his claims of insurgent knowledge." Another report gave the names, father's names, tribe, village and GPS co-ordinates for homes of individual villagers while stating that "[named person] wanted to help us as much as possible... [but] they were afraid that the people in the next village would see them talking to Americans."[53]Template:Clarify

Jane Harman, chairwoman of the Congressional Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, said that the Taliban had been given "its new 'enemies list'."[54] Ahmad Nader Nadery, a commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said that revealing the names and villages of people who interacted with U.S. troops was an "irresponsibility".[55] Julian Assange answered the question on whether the release might cost lives: "We can't guarantee it. But our understanding of the material is that it's vastly more likely to save lives than cost lives."[55] He also asserted that many informers in Afghanistan had "acted in a criminal way" in sharing erroneous data with NATO authorities and that the White House did not help WikiLeaks check the data.[55] Assange also felt that the U.S. should have had tighter controls over sensitive information, saying "[t]he United States appears to have given every UN soldier and contractor access to the names of many of its confidential sources without proper protection.[56]Template:Clarify

The U.S. Secretary of Defense and former CIA director Robert M. Gates said that the announcement by the Taliban that they were going through the dispatches proved that the disclosures imperiled Afghans who had aided American forces. "Growing up in the intelligence business, protecting your sources is sacrosanct".[57]

A task force of more than 100 intelligence analysts sifted through the published documents to identify the Afghan citizens and mosques that were concerned.[58]

Some, including Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai, raised concerns that the detailed logs had exposed the names of Afghan informants, thus endangering their lives.[59][60] Partially in response to this criticism, Wikileaks announced that it has sought the help of the Pentagon in reviewing a further 15,000 documents before releasing them. The Pentagon said it had not been contacted by Wikileaks.[61] However, blogger Glenn Greenwald presented evidence that the Pentagon had, in fact, been contacted, and that it had refused the request.[62]

On 11 August, a spokesman for the Pentagon told the Washington Post that "We have yet to see any harm come to anyone in Afghanistan that we can directly tie to exposure in the WikiLeaks documents",[63] although the spokesman asserted "there is in all likelihood a lag between exposure of these documents and jeopardy in the field." On 17 August, the Associated Press reported that "so far there is no evidence that any Afghans named in the leaked documents as defectors or informants from the Taliban insurgency have been harmed in retaliation."[64]

In October, the Pentagon concluded that the leak "did not disclose any sensitive intelligence sources or methods", and that furthermore "there has not been a single case of Afghans needing protection or to be moved because of the leak."[65] Both Wikileaks and Greenwald pointed to this report as clear evidence that the danger caused by the leak had been vastly overstated.[66][67]

Psychological warfare[edit]

Evidence within the documents suggest that the U.S. military has been paying Afghan radio and print media to run favorable stories,[68] with two prominent examples[68] being Radio Ghaznawiyaan and Wakht News Agency. One document refers to supplying pre-made content to a radio station, describing that content as PSYOP (Psychological Operations / Psychological Warfare) material.[68]

Insurgent attacks against civilians[edit]

The leaked documents describe many purported incidents of Taliban and other Afghan insurgent forces attacking civilians. Those forces would also, according to leaked reports, post 'Night Letters' on civilian buildings such as mosques foretelling death for the inhabitants. In one leak from April 2007, then-Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes requests to verify a video of a 12-year-old child soldier forced to kill a Pakistani hostage. Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, remarked that "the documents demonstrate just how pervasive the Taliban’s brutality is in this fight".[69]


Source of the leak[edit]

See 'Bradley Manning' article on Wikipedia

Wikileaks says it does not know the source of the leaked data. Editor-in-chief Julian Assange stated that "Our whole system is designed such that we don't have to keep that secret."[15] The Pentagon has launched an inquiry.[70][71] Col. Dave Lapan, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said that investigators are looking broadly to determine who leaked the material to Wikileaks. He said that Bradley Manning, a 22-year-old U.S. Army intelligence analyst, is someone that they are "looking at closely".[72] Manning is currently facing charges for allegedly leaking the 12 July 2007, Baghdad airstrike video Wikileaks released as “Collateral Murder”. That video was made public through WikiLeaks, along with many diplomatic cables, but war logs were not specifically among the charges.[73][74][75]

"Insurance file"[edit]

On July 30, days after the initial disclosure, media began to report that Wikileaks had released an additional file named "insurance.aes256" in connection with the Afghan War Diary disclosure. The new "insurance file" was AES-256 encrypted, 1.4 GB in size, with a timestamp of December 31st, 2010 6:00 PM, and with a SHA1 checksum of cce54d3a8af370213d23fcbfe8cddc8619a0734c.[4]

At 1.4 gigabytes, that file was 20 times larger than the batch of 77,000 secret U.S. military documents about Afghanistan that WikiLeaks already published, and cryptographers said that the file was virtually impossible to crack, unless WikiLeaks releases the key used to encode the material.[76][77][78][79][80]

See also[edit]

Template:Portal box

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Gebauer, Matthias; Goetz, John; Hoyng, Hans; Koelbl, Susanne; Rosenbach, Marcel; Schmitz, Gregor Peter (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314,00.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Piecing Together the Reports, and Deciding What to Publish". The New York Times. Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26editors-note.htm. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named canada_africa
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Afghan War Diary, 2004–2009. Wikileaks. URL accessed on [[Template:Nowrap 2010]].
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Davies, Nick; Leigh, David (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghanistan war logs: Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of occupation". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-war-logs-military-leaks. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  6. ↑ "Afghanistan: The war logs". The Guardian (London). 4 August 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs. Retrieved 3 August 2010. </li>
  7. ↑ Mazzetti, Mark; Perlez, Jane; Schmitt, Eric; Lehren, Andrew W. (25 July 2010). "The War Logs". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html. </li>
  8. ↑ "Enthüllung brisanter Kriegsdokumente - Die Afghanistan-Protokolle"
  9. ↑ "The Afghanistan Protocol - Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It"
  10. ↑ "Afghanistan war logs: How the Guardian got the story". The Guardian (London). Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-war-logs-explained-video. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  11. ↑ . London. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog+world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs. Template:Dead link </li>
  12. ↑ "From One Transparency Advocate to Another"
  13. ↑ "Afghan war log leak: Around the web". CBC News. Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/26/f-wikileaks-afghanistan-docs-roundup.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Tisdall, Simon (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghanistan war logs: Iran's covert operations in Afghanistan". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/iran-backing-taliban-alqaida-afghanistan. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "WikiLeaks: We don't know source of leaked data". Associated Press. Google. Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKu1DQoewmBy2do5ctRqUX5efGBAD9H82DRO0. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  16. ↑ "The Justice Department weighs a criminal case against WikiLeaks". The Washington Post. 18 August 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081705225.html. </li>
  17. ↑ "US to use Espionage Act against WikiLeaks"
  18. ↑ "Espionage Act of 1917"
  19. ↑ Leigh, David (2 August 2010). "Afghan War Logs: what did we learn?". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/02/afghan-war-logs-wikileaks. </li>
  20. ↑ WikiLeaks:About. Wikileaks. URL accessed on 29 July 2010. Template:Dead link
  21. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tells-all
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Washington condemns leak of Afghan war files". Al Arabiya. 26 July 2010. http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/07/26/114847.html. Retrieved 26 July 2010. </li>
  23. ↑ Heaven, Will (26 July 2010). "Wikileaks is a website without an agenda, says Julian Assange. So what the hell is it playing at?". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/willheaven/100048486/wikileaks-is-a-website-without-an-agenda-says-julian-assuage-so-what-the-hell-is-it-playing-at/. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  24. ↑ Lilley, Brian (27 July 2010). "Wikileaks founder on anti-war mission". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/07/27/14845941.html. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  25. ↑ Gebauer, Matthias; Goetz, John; Hoyng, Hans; Koelbl, Susanne; Rosenbach, Marcel; Schmitz, Gregor Peter (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It: The Secret Enemy in Pakistan". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,708314-5,00.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  26. ↑ Dozier, Kimberly (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Leaked tales from the front lines paint dark portrait of Afghanistan". The Globe and Mail. Associated Press. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-condemns-massive-military-leak-exposing-dark-side-of-afghan-war/article1651348/. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  27. ↑ Mazzetti, Mark; Perlez, Jane; Schmitt, Eric; Lehren, Andrew W. (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  28. ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/pakistan-isi-accused-taliban-afghanistan
  29. ↑ Stein, Jeff (26 July 2010). "Wikileaks documents: N. Korea sold missiles to al-Qaeda, Taliban". The Washington Post. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/07/wiki_n_korea_sold_rockets_to_a.html. Retrieved 27 July 2010. </li>
  30. ↑ Leigh, David; Evans, Rob (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghanistan war logs: Civilians caught in firing line of British troops". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/british-troops-afghan-civilian-shootings?intcmp=239. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  31. ↑ Foley, Stephen (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Whistleblower's leaked US files reveal state of Afghan war". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/whistleblowers-leaked-us-files-reveal-state-of-afghan-war-2035547.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Leigh, David (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghanistan war logs: Secret CIA paramilitaries' role in civilian deaths". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-civilian-deaths-rules-engagement. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  33. ↑ Faulkner, Katherine (Template:Nowrap 2010). "British fury as Wikileaks publishes the 90,000 top secret files that expose the horrific civilian cost of Afghan war". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1297644/Wikileaks-publishes-90-000-documents-Afghan-war.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  34. ↑ Walsh, Declan (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghanistan war logs: How US marines sanitised record of bloodbath". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/26/afghanistan-war-logs-us-marines. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  35. ↑ "Afghanistan war logs: "Other government agency" shoots deaf mute". The Guardian (London). Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/afghanistan/warlogs/0B4F081B-E448-4722-9E52-EA10DE4E0153. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  36. ↑ "The ISI: America’s favourite scapegoat". Dawn. 27 July 2010. http://blog.dawn.com/2010/07/27/the-isi-america%E2%80%99s-favourite-scapegoat/. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  37. ↑ "Afghanistan war logs: Polish attack on village kills five, wounds several, including pregnant woman at wedding party". The Guardian (London). Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/afghanistan/warlogs/5EA14116-2B6B-470C-8DB4-2912DDF197BF. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  38. ↑ (FRIENDLY FIRE) BLUE-BLUE RPT 205TH RCAG : 4 CF KIA 7 CF WIA 1 CIV WIA. Wikileaks. URL accessed on [[Template:Nowrap 2010]].
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 "Military rejects WikiLeaks friendly fire report". CBC News. Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/26/wikileak-afghanistan-canada-soldiers.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  40. ↑ "Leaked file suggests 4 Canadians killed by friendly fire". CTV News. Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100726/wikileaks-nato-concerns-100726/. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  41. ↑ "Hillier slams WikiLeaks 'friendly fire' report". CBC News. 27 July 2010. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/27/hillier-wikileaks-friendly-fire-allegation.html. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  42. ↑ "WikiLeaks report untrue: father of slain soldier". CTV News. 27 July 2010. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100727/soldiers-wikileaks-100727/. Retrieved 27 July 2010. </li>
  43. ↑ RC EAST: 111915Z TF 373 OBJ Carbon 7x ANP KIA, 4xANP WIA 4xEKIA. Wikileaks. URL accessed on [[Template:Nowrap 2010]].
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 "Bin Laden among latest Wikileaks Afghan revelations". BBC News. 27 July 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10774419. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  45. ↑ Soldier from 36 Engineer Regiment killed in Afghanistan. Ministry of Defence. URL accessed on 28 July 2010.
  46. ↑ MOD confirms 'Friendly Fire' investigation. The National Archives. URL accessed on 28 July 2010.
  47. ↑ Tisdall, Simon (26 July 2010). "Afghanistan war logs reveal hand of Osama bin Laden". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/26/afghanistan-war-logs-osama-bin-laden. </li>
  48. ↑ "Afghanistan war logs: Al-Qaida alleged to be involved in rocket smuggling". The Guardian (London). 25 July 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/afghanistan/warlogs/772DE21C-2219-0B3F-9F29789162135989. </li>
  49. ↑ Davies, Nick (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghanistan war logs: Task Force 373 â€“ special forces hunting top Taliban". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/task-force-373-secret-afghanistan-taliban. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 "Inside the Fog of War: Reports From the Ground in Afghanistan". The New York Times. Template:Nowrap 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26warlogs.html. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  51. ↑ Rose, David (9 December 2009). "Why Bagram is Guantanamo's evil twin and Britain's dirty secret". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1232665/Why-Bagram-Guantanamos-evil-twin-Britains-dirty-secret.html. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  52. ↑ Coghlan, Tom; Whittell, Giles (Template:Nowrap 2010). "Afghan informants' lives at risk from documents posted on WikiLeaks". The Times (The Australian). http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/afghan-informants-lives-at-risk-from-documents-posted-on-wikileaks/story-e6frg6so-1225897924552. Retrieved Template:Nowrap 2010. </li>
  53. ↑ "Man named by WikiLeaks 'war logs' already dead". The Times. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/afghanistan/article2664166.ece. Retrieved 29 July 2010. Template:subscription required </li>
  54. ↑ "Publication of Afghan informant details worth the risk: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange". The Australian. 29 July 2010. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/publication-of-afghan-informant-details-worth-the-risk-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange/story-e6frg6so-1225898273552. Retrieved 30 July 2010. </li>
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Jepson, Kris (29 July 2010). "Wikileaks: damage is done say human rights group". Channel 4 News. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/wikileaks+damage+already+done+says+human+rights+group/3727677. Retrieved 9 August 2010. "Ahmad Nader Nadery, ... said: "Release of names of the tribal elders and community members who met US, ISAF or NATO forces is an absolute irresponsibility." ... Julian Assange, ... was specifically asked ... whether the leaked material might cost lives ..." </li>
  56. ↑ "Backlash grows over ‘hitlist for the Taleban". The Times. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/afghanistan/article2664250.ece. Retrieved 29 July 2010. Template:subscription required </li>
  57. ↑ Schmitt, Eric; David E. Sanger (1 August 2010). "Gates Cites Peril in Leak of Afghan War Logs by WikiLeaks". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/world/02wiki.html?_r=1. Retrieved 9 August 2010. </li>
  58. ↑ "15K Wikileaks docs 'potentially more explosive,' US frets"
  59. ↑ Preston, Peter (1 August 2010). "WikiLeaks' Afghan story raises dilemma over safety of sources - The WikiLeaks log showed the failures of the Afghan war – but the media moved on, overwhelmed by the weight of material". London: guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/01/afghan-war-wikileaks-press-comment. Retrieved 24 August 2010. </li>
  60. ↑ Elliott, Chris (9 August 2010). "Open door". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/09/afghanistan-war-logs-readers-editor. </li>
  61. ↑ "Wikileaks to seek Pentagon help on war logs". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 September 2010. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/wikileaks-to-seek-pentagon-help-on-war-logs-20100804-11flb.html. Retrieved 12 September 2010-09-12. </li>
  62. ↑ Why won't the Pentagon help WikiLeaks redact documents?
  63. ↑ Pentagon: Undisclosed Wikileaks documents 'potentially more explosive'. The Washington Post. URL accessed on 24 October 2010.
  64. ↑ Are risks from WikiLeaks overstated by government?. CNN. URL accessed on 24 October 2010.
  65. ↑ Gates: Leaked documents don't reveal key intel, but risks remain. Salon. URL accessed on 24 October 2010.
  66. ↑ Read closely: NATO tells CNN not a single case of Afghans needing protection or moving due to leak. http://twitter.com/#!/wikileaks/.+URL accessed on 24 October 2010.
  67. ↑ How propaganda is disseminated: WikiLeaks Edition. Salon. URL accessed on 24 October 2010.
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 Cook, John (27 July 2010). "Leaked files indicate U.S. pays Afghan media to run friendly stories". Yahoo. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100727/wl_ynews/ynews_wl3247. Retrieved 4 August 2010. </li>
  69. ↑ Template:citenews
  70. ↑ Norington, Brad (28 July 2010). "Pentagon hunts for source of leaks". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/pentagon-hunts-for-source-of-leaks/story-e6frg6so-1225897736924. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  71. ↑ Winnett, Robert (26 July 2010). "Afghan war logs: inquiry launched into source of leaks". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7909771/Afghan-war-logs-inquiry-launched-into-source-of-leaks.html. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  72. ↑ Barnes, Julian E. (27 July 2010). "Pentagon Eyes Accused Analyst Over WikiLeaks Data". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704700404575391523088194344.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories. Retrieved 28 July 2010. </li>
  73. ↑ Official charge sheet for Bradley Manning. bradleymanning.org. URL accessed on 28 July 2010.
  74. ↑ "US soldier charged over Apache Wikileaks video". Agence France-Presse. ABC News. 7 July 2010. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/07/2946534.htm?section=world. Retrieved 27 July 2010. </li>
  75. ↑ Dishneau, David. "Alleged Army whistleblower felt angry and alone". Associated Press. Google. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5haxoKNMZev63Ph0ZkRkMsEaPeCrwD9GPORO00. Retrieved 27 July 2010. </li>
  76. ↑ "WikiLeaks Posts Mysterious ‘Insurance’ File"
  77. ↑ "Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010"
  78. ↑ "Cryptome"
  79. ↑ "WikiLeaks Posts Mysterious 'Insurance' File"
  80. ↑ . http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/ap/tech/main6746666.shtml. Template:Dead link </li> </ol>

External links[edit]

Template:Wikinews

Template:Afghanistan War Template:WikiLeaks

Retrieved from "http://eng.anarchopedia.org/index.php?title=Afghan_War_Diary&oldid=45274"