The Pentagon is braced for its biggest-ever security breach of classified information as Wikileaks, the website that publishes leaked official documents, prepares to release 400,000 intelligence files related to the Iraq war. A task force of 120 people has been assembled to assess the potential implications and damage of the disclosure of the documents, which promises to eclipse the recent release of more than 70,000 classified US military files on the Afghanistan war.
Col. Dave Lapan, the Pentagon spokesman, said the timing of the leak remained unclear but the Defence Department was ready for a document dump as early as Monday or Tuesday.
Some of the new data is said to be from a "tactical reports database" in Iraq that lists SIGACTS ("Significant activities") relating to major military operations, movement of personnel and alliances with key tribal figures and allies.
The Afghanistan release in July prompted, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to warn that WikiLeaks might cause the deaths of American troops and Afghan civilians named as cooperating with Nato forces because the documents contained names.
The documents detailed Nato concerns that the Pakistan intelligence services has backed the Taliban fight against US forces in Afghanistan, they also exposed an increasing number of Afghan civilians being killed by coalition troops. The leak also detailed how a secret "black" unit of special forces were allowed to hunt down and "capture or kill" Taliban leaders without trial.
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