The mass of U.S. documents released by WikiLeaks offer a grim snapshot of the Iraq conflict (File)
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said on Israeli television on Sunday that he was taking security precautions following the release of nearly 400,000 secret U.S. military documents on the Iraq war.
"No, I'm not running for my life, but we do have to take extra security precautions," Assange told Channel Two television in an interview that took place in London.
The Israeli channel reported that Assange was accompanied by bodyguards during the interview.
The mass of U.S. documents from 2004 to 2009 released by WikiLeaks on Friday offer a grim snapshot of the Iraq conflict, especially of the abuse of civilians by Iraqi security forces.
"Just yesterday, in fact, the former general counsel of the CIA said that it was his view was that the U.S. was trying to get me personally and possibly some other people into the U.S. jurisdiction, and that corresponds to former statements made by the Pentagon," Assange told Channel Two.
On Friday, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said before the material was made public: "We deplore WikiLeaks for inducing individuals to break the law, leak classified documents and then cavalierly share that secret information with the world, including our enemies."
Asked whether the WikiLeaks revelations could be of use to Osama bin Laden, Assange told the Israeli broadcaster that he was not privy to the thoughts of the Al-Qaeda chief.
"I do not have access to Osama bin Laden's thoughts. Many people want the truth out, insofar as al-Qaeda wants the truth out, they are correct," he said.
Washington on Sunday came under increasing pressure to investigate allegations in the leaked documents.
The flood of material offers a grim snapshot of the conflict, especially of the abuse of Iraqi civilians by Iraqi security forces.
The heavily redacted logs appear to show that the U.S. military turned a blind eye to evidence of torture and abuse of civilians by the Iraqi authorities.
WikiLeaks claim the documents reveal around 15,000 more civilian deaths than were previously known about.
The files contain graphic accounts of torture, civilian killings and Iran's hand in the Iraq war, documenting years of bloodshed and suffering following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.
Probing allegations
Iraq vowed on Saturday to probe allegations that police or soldiers committed crimes in the country's sectarian war, after WikiLeaks released classified U.S. files that revealed prisoner abuse by Iraqi forces.
The flood of files mainly containing in-the-field action reports from lower level U.S. military officers detailed gruesome cases of prisoner abuse that were known to U.S. authorities but not investigated by them.
"The government will show no leniency when it comes to the rights of its citizens," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office said, while also decrying the timing of the reports while Iraqi political groups are trying to negotiate a new government.
Iraqi officials including Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said many of the cases mentioned in the U.S. military documents appeared to be old. Nevertheless, a committee would vet them.
The allegations of prisoner abuse could embarrass Maliki's Shiite-led government as he seeks support for a second term.
Iraqi leaders have yet to agree on the formation of a new government seven months after an election that produced no outright winner. Maliki's ambitions to retain his job are opposed by the Sunni-backed cross-sectarian Iraqiya alliance that won the most seats in the new 325-seat parliament, and by some of his erstwhile Shiite allies.
The war files released by WikiLeaks also covered periods when others were in charge, including Iraqiya's leader, former premier Iyad Allawi, and ex-Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
Maliki's office said the release of the documents while negotiations over a government had not yet been concluded was suspicious timing, and accused some unnamed media organizations of trying to use them to attack the outgoing government.
WikiLeaks held a news conference in London on Saturday, at which Assange defended the unauthorized release, saying it was intended to reveal the "truth" about the conflict.
"Most wars that are started by democracies involve lying," he said. "If there's enough truth early on enough then perhaps we won't see these kind of wars."
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/10/25/123527.html
No comments:
Post a Comment