Leaked documents shed light on Afghan War

From Julian E. Barnes and Siobham Gorman of The Wall Street Journal on July 26:

WASHINGTON—The release by a Web-based organization of thousands of secret military documents that appear to present a bleak view of the Afghan war drew a range of reactions Monday, underscoring that they could have a profound impact on public perception of the war.

The U.S., the U.K. and Pakistan condemned the huge leak of classified information, while Afghanistan focused on reported Pakistani support for the Taliban-led insurgency and reports of previously undisclosed civilian deaths to demand further tightening of rules of engagement. The Pentagon said it is trying to assess the damage caused.

The release of the documents, which were obtained and made public by the website WikiLeaks, evoked the release of the so-called Pentagon Papers, the secret history of the Vietnam War, which, when published, contradicted the public narrative of that war and played a role in turning public opinion against it.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a London news conference Monday the documents appear to contain evidence of war crimes, adding it would be "up to a court" to make judgments. He cited especially Task Force 373, which he called a U.S. military "assassination unit" that he said killed seven children in a "botched raid."

Asked how many incidents could potentially be investigated for possible war crimes or other reasons, he said "thousands," adding that the U.S. military would probably be forced to investigate some.

Mr. Assange said information in the documents "really doesn't paint a flattering picture of the Taliban, either," noting that there are many reports of Taliban-planted explosive devices causing "significant loss of human life."

He strongly suggested a coverup of civilian deaths during the war, pointing to U.S. military reports on the number of people wounded or killed during specific incidents. In some of these, a high number of those killed or wounded are classified as "enemy" while very few are classified as "civilians," which he called "suspicious."

He said the documents don't just "reveal abuses" but paint a detailed picture of "the last six years of war," including the kinds of weapons used and the progress or setbacks experienced.

Coming at a time when U.S. President Barack Obama's Afghanistan strategy has come under increasing criticism, the release will likely stoke criticism of the war effort, as well as spark a debate about the manner in which the information was made available.

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