Ninety-two thousand pieces of classified military documents were leaked online Sunday, detailing the United States' war in Afghanistan.
In a rare show of data journalism, the hard evidence posted on WikiLeaks covers the years of war between the Taliban and the United States during former President George W. Bush's tenure, the period of time between January 2004 and December 2009. The military files depict a war members of the public were not aware of, showing the Taliban's increasing strength fueled by aide, which the documents say comes from Iran and Pakistan, and details secret U.S.-led raids resulting in the deaths of Afghan civilians.
White House National Security Advisor James Jones condemned the leak, calling the decision irresponsible and a threat to national security. Three internationally renown newspapers however, say they sifted through the reports and were careful to remove any documents that they say could have jeopardized military operations or endangered US soldiers. The newspapers, Germany's Der Spiegel, UK's The Guardian, and America's The New York Times, may also release up to an additional 15,000 more classified reports.
WikiLeaks website says they "believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies."
The Swedan-based whistleblower site has a reputation for publishing groundbreaking leaks. Aside from posting the contents of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin's email inbox, WikiLeaks has also released other sensitive information, such as the Guantanamo Bay prison manual and a video showing a U.S. helicopter firing on a group in Baghdad, killing two Reuters employees.
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