Wikileaks : Secret Afghanistan War logs

[Bill Longley]

New York Times reporters met with White House before publishing WikiLeaks story - War Room - Salon.com

The White House was very upset with WikiLeaks for its decision to publish thousands of pages of classified reports and documents describing our mission in Afghanistan. But according to Yahoo's Michael Calderone, it was very pleased with how the New York Times dealt with its semi-exclusive access to the documents.

Times Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet took reporters Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt to the White House last week to brief the administration on what they planned on publishing. And they all got gold stars.

“I did in fact go the White House and lay out for them what we had,” Baquet said. “We did it to give them the opportunity to comment and react. They did. They also praised us for the way we handled it, for giving them a chance to discuss it, and for handling the information with care. And for being responsible.”

The Times redacted some information in the name of "national security" and protecting the safety of individual soldiers, but the White House doesn't seem to have told the Times that publishing stories based on these documents would in any real way harm our troops.

So, uh ... why was all of this information classified and top secret? If it's old news, and it just confirms what "everyone" already knows, what was the rationale for keeping it classified and calling WikiLeaks all sorts of mean names for publishing it?

Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon. Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene More Alex Pareene



oh what a cheap shot by a super power. Is it admittence of incompetancy or they want to Blame their ally for failures in Afghanistan. While accuseing pakistan they revealed how incompetant they are 90000 secret docs leaks ...a big disgrace for power who thinks its god.

Has Pakistan stopped you to secure borders with NWA? or you dont want to secure it?
btw why you have not leaked US and Afghans giving sancturies to TTP in Kunar and Nouristan provinces of Afghanistan?
may be to bleed Pakistan is what our allies want?

 

[Marxist]

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday that Western allies had the ability to strike at Taliban bases in Pakistan, but questioned their willingness to do so.

"The war against terrorism is not in the villages or houses of Afghanistan ...but in the sanctuaries, sources of funding and training (of terrorism) and they lie outside Afghanistan," he told a news conference in the capital

"It is a different question whether Afghanistan has the ability to tackle this," he said in response to a question about Pakistan support for the Taliban and why the conflict was dragging on, "... but our allies have this capability the question now is 'why they are not taking action'?"

Islamabad's covert support for the Taliban resurfaced this week with the publication by the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks of tens of thousands of classified documents which point the finger at Pakistan's spy agency.

Karzai condemned as "irresponsible and shocking" the release of informants' names by WikiLeaks, saying it had put their lives in danger.

"It is extremely irresponsible and shocking," Karzai told a news conference in the Afghan capital. "There are lives and these lives are in danger."

The website released more than 90,000 classified U.S. military files from the Afghan war between 2004 to 2009, a period when tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO troops ran into increasing resistance from a Taliban insurgency.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said the documents were checked for named informants and that 15,000 such documents had been held back.

But the British newspaper The Times reported that after just two hours of combing through the documents it was able to find the names of dozens of Afghans said to have provided detailed intelligence to U.S. forces.

The Pentagon has also said that informants whose names appear in the documents have reason to fear for their lives.

International News | Karzai asks why NATO won't hit Pakistan

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 29, 2010 (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday condemned the release of information he said could endanger the lives of Afghan informants contained in files published by whistleblower WikiLeaks.

"I heard this yesterday... that names of certain Afghans who cooperate with the coalition NATO have been also revealed in these documents. This indeed is extremely irresponsible and shocking," he told a news conference.

"Because whether those individuals acted legitimately or illegitimately, by providing information to NATO forces, they are lives. And the lives are in danger now," he said.

Website WikiLeaks released more than 90,000 classified US military files dating from the Afghan war between 2004 to 2009, a period when tens of thousands of US and NATO troops ran into increasing Taliban resistance.

The site's founder, Julian Assange, has said the documents were checked for named informants and that 15,000 such documents had been held back.

But the British newspaper The Times reported that after just two hours combing through the documents it was able to find the names of dozens of Afghans said to have provided detailed intelligence to US forces.

The Pentagon has also said that informants whose names appear in the documents have reason to fear for their lives.

Spokesman Colonel David Lapan said at least one person whose name appeared had already complained to US officials in Afghanistan.

Karzai said releasing the names was "an act that I cannot overlook".

"We'll have to see names and the context in which those names are mentioned and then act according to this.

"It is a very serious issue. This was indeed the conversation we had just before the press conference... with concerns and worries that we have."

The Times cited one 2008 document that included a detailed interview with a Taliban fighter considering defection.

The man, who names local Taliban commanders and talks about other potential defectors, is identified by name, along with his father's name and village.

Major General John Campbell, who is head of the 101 Airborne Division and in charge of a key regional command in eastern Afghanistan, has said that the leaks have not resulted in any changes in military operations.

Campbell, speaking to reporters via satellite from Afghanistan, said that most of the information he had seen from the leaks was "not new news".

However, he feared that any named informants would be reluctant to further collaborate with coalition forces.

"I can see that there will be a detriment down the road," said Campbell.

 

[SMC]

The news media is generally labeled Anti Pakistani or Right wing based upon the situation the forum members want to turn..... If its favoring Pakistan its a good newspaper...and when its against Pakistan ..its boldly labeled as anti Pakistani or right wing.

It more like Labeling of Convenience.

Same can be said about indians, no? They say that DAWN is good because many journalist pieces there are suited to their beliefs. And anything remotely anti-indian is a conspiracy theory.

 

[GUNNER]

Biden Downplays Wikileak

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2010 (AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview aired Thursday that Pakistan's intelligence agency was "changing" in its behavior towards Afghanistan, following leaked claims it aided extremists.

Biden downplayed documents which suggested that between 2004 and 2009, elements of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), armed, trained and financed the Taliban despite Islamabad's anti-terror alliance with Washington.

"I'm getting very close to what I shouldn't be talking about in terms of classification," said Biden on NBC's "Today" show.

"But what was talked about in those leaks were the intelligence community within the ISI. That is the sort of the CIA of Pakistan. That has been a problem in the past. It is a problem we're dealing with and is changing."

Pakistan has denounced the leak of the secret files on the Afghan war as "irresponsible" and said it was committed to fighting extremists alongside the United States, and some Pakistani analysts said the documents were out of date.

Biden argued that documents leaked by the web whistleblower Wikileaks, published by three news organizations on Sunday, predate the new US Afghan policy announced by President Barack Obama in December.

"There are not monies being diverted from the public works and economic projects that are needed to sustain a democracy in Pakistan to the bad guys that exist within Pakistan," he said.

"There's not money being diverted from the military purposes that are designed to deal with counter-terrorism to those areas."

 

[Old School]

Everyone is downplaying the leak except few who orchestrated this leak only to be disappointed by the anti-climax.

 

[RescueRanger]

I just read some of the "secret" leaks, firstly there are out-dated, secondly it seems most of the 90,000 or so are Sit-reps, one even highlights the ANA entering Pakistani soil and refusing to leave whilst firing at a Pak-Mil check post.

The remaining are HUMINT and SIGINT of quote "Uncorroborated " meaning rumours like "I heard bobs cousin, knew a man who knew a Taliban guy who said he heard that from another Taliban guy that he saw General Hamid visit them in Pakistan".

Give me a break.



Sigh...

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

It's time for pakistan to stop their double game. Even though pakistan gained some advantage through this, they are paying high prices now, internaly and internationally.

 

[SMC]

It's time for pakistan to stop their double game. Even though pakistan gained some advantage through this, they are paying high prices now, internaly and internationally.

Any proof that Pakistan is playing a double game? If not, I expect you to take your BS back and not repeat it until you can show some proof.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

Any proof that Pakistan is playing a double game? If not, I expect you to take your BS back and not repeat it until you can show some proof.

It's not me simply saying. Read the reports about wikileaks and in the past your president zardari accepted pakistans supported terrorists for short term gains.

 

[GreenStar]

It's time for pakistan to stop their double game. Even though pakistan gained some advantage through this, they are paying high prices now, internaly and internationally.

And it is time for India to stop their double game. Stop poking your nose into Balouchistan and funding terrorists groups that are trying to destablize Pakistan.


And Mr Bhagathsingh do tell me, what advantages has Pakistan gained, you seem to have inside knowledge in which none of us have, to issue a statement like that.

 

[GreenStar]

It's not me simply saying. Read the reports about wikileaks and in the past your president zardari accepted pakistans supported terrorists for short term gains

The reports from wikileak are not concreet proof that Pakistan is involved in supporting terrorists. The simple fact is America is losing the war in Afghanistan, just like the Soviets did.............now the American establishment is slowly recognizing this aswell, so its using Pakistan as a scapegoat. Futhermore give me the link where Pakistan's President Zardari said that Pakistan supported terrorists for short term gains.

 

[Pakistani_Regiment]

It's time for pakistan to stop their double game. Even though pakistan gained some advantage through this, they are paying high prices now, internaly and internationally.

why do you think pakistan is playing a double game? please explain.

 

[Pakistani_Regiment]

It's not me simply saying. Read the reports about wikileaks and in the past your president zardari accepted pakistans supported terrorists for short term gains.

i read those reports they were written by an indian, and the entire international community waived it off as only nonsensical ranting.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

And it is time for India to stop their double game. Stop poking your nose into Balouchistan and funding terrorists groups that are trying to destablize Pakistan.


And Mr Bhagathsingh do tell me, what advantages has Pakistan gained, you seem to have inside knowledge in which none of us have, to issue a statement like that.

Pakistani president Asif Zardari admits creating terrorist groups - Telegraph
check the above link to read Zardari's comments and please ask him what were the gains.