Apprehensive that whistleblower website WikiLeaks may be on the brink of fresh leaks, the Pentagon has asked the portal to refrain from publishing more classified papers on the Afghan war, saying public disclosure of new information can only make the damage worse.
The demand by the Pentagon, which the agency has no powers to enforce, is aimed to scuttle moves by the whistleblower website to publish 15,000 secret documents that it claims it is holding.
WikiLeaks said it had written to Pentagon asking it to redact names of Commanders and informants from the papers still not made public.
The US Defence Department has however denied receiving any such request.
“The Defence Department demands that WikiLeaks return immediately to the US government all versions of documents obtained directly or indirectly from the Department of Defence databases or records,” Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell told reporters.
“Public disclosure of additional Defence Department classified information can only make the damage worse. The only acceptable course is for WikiLeaks to take steps immediately to return all versions of all of these documents to the US government and permanently delete them from its website, computers and records,” he said.
The Pentagon’s fury also comes as reports said that the whistleblower website may have in it’s possession contents of a mammoth encrypted files.
“WikiLeaks’s public disclosure last week of a large number of our documents has already threatened the safety of our troops, our allies and Afghan citizens who are working with us to help bring about peace and stability in that part of the world,” Morrell said.
The Department of Defence also demands that WikiLeaks discontinue any solicitation of this type, he asserted.
Referring to reports of WikiLeaks approaching Pentagon for redacting names from the leaked files, Morrell denied reports that the portal has asked the Department of Defence for help in reviewing approximately 15,000 classified documents that it has obtained in an unauthorised and inappropriate manner, before it releases those classified documents to the public.
“WikiLeaks has made no such request directly to the Department of Defence. These documents are the property of the US government and contain classified and sensitive information,” he said.
The Pentagon spokesperson clarified that at this point of time it is only a demand to WikiLeaks and is not compelling them.
“WikiLeaks has made no such request directly to the Department of Defence. These documents are the property of the US government and contain classified and sensitive information,” he said.
The Pentagon spokesperson clarified that at this point of time it is only a demand to WikiLeaks and is not compelling them.