Well Sure They Will Condemn Their Release
by James Glaser
July 26, 2010

No nation at war wants the world to know what they are really doing on the battlefield, so it is only natural that the United States would condemn the release of 92,000 classified military documents about the Afghan war to the New York Times, The Guardian, and Der Siegel newspapers. The documents were released by the web site, Wikileaks.

U.S. Condemns Release of Documents on Afghan War
By Roger Runningen—Jul 25, 2010

National Security Adviser James Jones

National Security Adviser James Jones said the release of the documents by the website Wikileaks could put lives at risk and threaten national security.

The U.S. condemned as "irresponsible" the disclosure of about 92,000 classified documents on the war in Afghanistan covering the years 2004 through 2009.

No documents from 2010 were released, so Washington has a hard time saying their release will cause troops to be killed. They did say however, the release "could" put lives at risk.

The documents show that Taliban insurgents have used portable heat-seeking missiles against allied aircraft, something that hadn't been disclosed by the military, the Times said. The reports also provide information about secret commando units seeking to capture or kill top insurgent leaders, and the use of CIA paramilitary operations inside Afghanistan, the Times said.

In the Vietnam War, the United States had Operation Phoenix, that was used to kill any civilians who were not playing ball with the US. It has been reported that tens of thousands of Vietnamese were killed by the killing squads of the CIA. Now 40 years later, we learn we have the same type of program in use in Afghanistan. No wonder Washington is upset. Killing squads don't sound like what the Pentagon wants for an image.

The Guardian newspaper said on its website the documents show that allied troops have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents. In addition, it said, "Taliban attacks have soared and NATO commanders fear neighboring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency," referring to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Der Spiegel magazine said on its website that all three publications vetted the documents, compared them with independent reports and concluded they were authentic. The reports were mostly written by sergeants, Der Spiegel said.

"Nearly nine years after the start of the war, they paint a gloomy picture," Der Spiegel's report said. "They portray Afghan security forces as the hapless victims of Taliban attacks. They also offer a conflicting impression of the deployment of drones, noting that America's miracle weapons are also entirely vulnerable."

Washington is embarrassed. Here are 92,000 documents, American military documents that expose the killing of civilians, and tells the world in the American military's own words that this war is not going well.

It is no wonder that Washington has condemned the release of these documents. Can you even imagine how many people are right now searching for the person or persons who gave these classified documents away? They will be the heroes to much of the world, but not here at home.

Just as a comparison, the Pentagon Papers released in the Vietnam War were less than 10,000 pages. It will take a while but with three large newspapers going through them, it won't be long before the world knows everything of interest in this incredible number of pages.

Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source