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WikiLeaks Releases Cache of 400,000 Iraq War Documents

Posted by timothy on from the freedom-of-the-press dept.

Caelesto writes "Today around 21:00 GMT, WikiLeaks declared an end to their media embargo of over 400,000 Iraq War documents after Al Jazeera released their story 30 minutes ahead of schedule. These documents, which have been kept under wraps by WikiLeaks for months, may reveal tortures and murders ignored by coalition forces during the fighting and occupation in Iraq. The Pentagon maintained that releasing these documents represented a danger to US troops, but already dozens of news outlets are scrambling to report on what could be a devastating blow to the US Armed Forces' already tattered image." Reader Entropy98 points to the BBC's coverage, as well. If you care to download the collection of files, it's available as a torrent.

5 of 676 comments (clear)

  1. I've never given money to a web site before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    But I just donated 50 EUR to WikiLeaks.

  2. Tattered Image by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "scrambling to report on what could be a devastating blow to the US Armed Forces' already tattered image."

    Am I the only who didn't think the first release left the US Armed Forces with a tattered image? These are huge volumes of reports from the US Armed forces about the actions of the US Armed Forces (good, bad, etc) the fact that all actions of the armed forces are so carefully logged leads me to believe that despite issues and anecdotes the US Armed Forces are actually pretty damn professional... Top level officials not wanting these documents publicly released is unfortunate but the fact that these documents even exist is a testament to professionalism on the part of the Armed Forces.

  3. what goes around, comes around by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    many of us think this is a key point in history where freedom is clashing with government invasion of privacy. we see escalating levels of snooping on the part of 'the officials' and the people are forced to endure this treatment under the guise of 'making us safer'. we know its not for that purpose but we are told we have to give up our privacy to the government.

    well, wikileaks is giving them a taste of their own medicine. not for that reason primarily, I don't think, but its in there to some extent.

    its a statement of: if you are going to dish it out, you BETTER be ready to take it.

    the governments (all over the world) are trying to limit free speech (the internet) and seem to have fallen in love with keeping detailed data on all its citizens. they want a one-sided arrangement.

    its not fair but there was nothing the little guy can do, no matter which country you are in. (name one that is really 'free' these days. please.)

    wiki is sort of a dose of 'fuck you right back'. again, even if not fully intended, it kind of comes off that way.

    sort of like a big bully getting a dose of medicine.

    --

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    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  4. Disgusting by GeekHang · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I saw one document on here which really disgusted me. The American troops had someone detained, some soldier walks in, pulls out a browning and fires 7 rounds into the detainee for no apparent reason. That soldier then gets detained for a while then he's let of. WTF, this is bullshit.

  5. All war, all the time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The very careful peer-reviewed Lancet surveys of Iraq War casualties estimate the deaths caused by the U.S. government to be within "a range of 426,369 to 793,663 using a 95% confidence interval". The U.S. government has killed more Iraqis than Saddam Hussein.

    A coalition of groups in the U.S. wanted the Iraq war:
    1. Cheney and Bush and their families and friends were heavily invested in weapons companies.
    2. Other weapons investors also want continuous war. There are very profitable no-bid contracts. It is easy to get fraud to be accepted.
    3. Many Jews want someone else to pay for Israeli security.
    4. There are two kinds of oil investors. One of those kinds makes money by capturing oil profits through violence.
    5. There are U.S. citizens who are extremely arrogant, who believe that the U.S. government should "police" the world, even though that increases the total violence.
    6. There are U.S. citizens for whom having their government kill people is a way of acting out their personal anger.
    7. In the U.S., starting a war assures political support. Everyone who doesn't want a war is characterized as "soft".

    The U.S. government has killed an estimated 11,000,000 people since the end of the 2nd world war, by invading or bombing or causing political problems in 24 countries.