JIM MIKLASZEWSKI reporting:
the
WikiLeaks
release of these
military
secrets, nearly 400,000 raw battlefield reports from US commanders on the front lines in
Iraq
. And while much of this has been pretty much reported to some extent, the massive leaks provides an even deeper look into the -- into the darkest side of the
Iraq war
. The leaked documents cover the deadliest years of the
Iraq war
and
for the first time
provide evidence that Iraqi civilians suffered the heaviest losses. The secret records show in all 109,000 Iraqis were killed. But more than half, 66,000, were civilians, higher than previously disclosed. At a news conferences today in
London
,
WikiLeaks
founder
Julian Assange
accused the US of hiding the truth.
Mr. JULIAN ASSANGE:
Iraq
, as we can see, was a bloodbath on every corner.
MIKLASZEWSKI:
According to the documents, many died at the hands of the Americans. Six hundred eighty-one civilians were killed at
US military
checkpoints alone.
Pentagon
officials insist, however,
US military
tactics have improved.
Mr. GEOFF MORRELL (Pentagon Press Secretary):
We have gotten better over the years at protecting ourselves while at the same time protecting innocent civilians approaching checkpoints, but we have not been perfect.
MIKLASZEWSKI:
It was also revealed the
US military
knew that
Iraqi security forces
tortured and murdered detainees.
American forces
were ordered not to intervene, but only to report it up the chain of command. One document states an
American soldier
watched an Iraqi officer strike a detainee with a baton and whip another detainee's feet and back with an electrical cable. The soldier reported the incident, but the document shows there was no investigation.
Source:
New York Times
MIKLASZEWSKI:
Americans also obtained a video showing
Iraqi soldiers
and an officer executing a detainee. That incident was also reported, but nine days later the case was closed.
Source:
The Guardian
Mr. JOHN SLOBODA (Iraq Body Count):
It is very good that this data has been collected. But it is wrong and unjustifiable that it has been kept a secret for so long.
MIKLASZEWSKI:
Perhaps more troubling in the long run, the
secret documents
show that
Iran
exerted more influence and had a bigger role in fomenting violence in
Iraq
than first thought, and is still flexing significant muscle in
Iraq
today.
Mr. ROGER CRESSEY (NBC News Terrorism Analyst):
The real irony here is that although the
United States
has overthrown
Saddam Hussein
and stabilized
Iraq
to a certain degree, Iranian influence has never been higher inside
Iraq
.
MIKLASZEWSKI:
WikiLeaks
claims they've released the stolen documents in the name of truth.
Mr. SLOBODA:
There is a public right to know.
MIKLASZEWSKI:
But US officials fear the details of
US military
tactics contained in the documents will give the enemy a newfound advantage on the battlefield.
Mr. MORRELL:
They're looking for vulnerabilities, trying to exploit them in future attacks. That's why these documents are so dangerous to our forces.
MIKLASZEWSKI:
In addition, a document about those three American hikers taken into custody by
Iran
indicates the three were clearly in
Iraq
when grabbed. But it goes on to say the trio was warned in advance about traveling to that area and they seemed intent on creating agitation and publicity. As for the overall leak,
Pentagon
and
military
officials don't expect any major fallout from these latest disclosures, but it's not over yet.
WikiLeaks
announced today it intends to release another 17,000 documents from the war
“ ”