US ‘Strongly Condemns’ Mass Publication of Afghan War Docs

Jones Terms Leaks a 'Threat to National Security'

Just as The Guardian released a massive collection of leaked Afghan War documents obtained from WikiLeaks, the US government publicly condemned the release, with National Security Adviser James Jones taking the lead in the condemnations.

“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 ,” Jones declared in a statement released by the White House.

Jones further complaining that WikiLeaks handed the documents over to the press instead of contacting the administration first. WikiLeaks released some 90,000 classified documents, apparently the result of the enormous collection of such files released by Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst who was charged with violating Army regulations for the transfer.

The documents run from 2004 through the end of 2009 and cover a myriad of topics related to the Afghan War, from the grim (documents related to the US covering up civilian deaths) to the absurd (a plot accusing Pakistan’s ISI Agency of plotting to poison Hamid Karzai’s beer).

All told, the “War Logs,” as The Guardian is calling them, include details on some 300 key reports, each and every one of enormous potential embarrassment to officials. From friendly fire deaths to the US “black unit” assassination team roaming Southern Afghanistan, the full details of what may well be the biggest intelligence leak in US history will likely not be completely absorbed for weeks or even months.

The number of official stories which have turned out to be complete lies is absolutely staggering, and paints a picture of an ever-worsening war which, while not a surprise to anyone paying close attention, certainly flies in the face of what the Obama Administration’s officials tell the American public.

The leaks may well do harm to the war effort, but they will only do so in that they reveal the shameful policies the Bush and now the Obama Administration have been adopting over the past decade. One surely cannot blame Bradley Manning, or even WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, for that.

The Guardian’s War Logs



Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.