Pentagon opens criminal probe into Afghan war file leaks

The U.S. Army has started a criminal probe into the leak of some 92,000 classified military files on the war in Afghanistan by Wikileaks, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

The probe has been assigned to the same Army Criminal Investigation Division that has been investigating Bradley Manning, a 22-year-old private charged in an earlier leak to Wikileaks.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said the Army Criminal Investigation Division would be taking a broader look at the Wikileaks.

“The current investigation into the release of the documents to Wikileaks, this recent release, isn’t focused on any particular individual. It is a broader look,” Lapan said.

Meanwhile, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that he is appalled by Wikileaks, as this could risk the lives of service members.

“From the time I’ve been chairman I’ve been very clear about the need to improve the relationship with Pakistan, re-establish the trust that was broken in the 1990s,” Mullen told reporters travelling with him.

“In the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, none of us have been anything but very forthcoming on the criticality of Pakistan. We can’t get at the safe havens that we know exist in Pakistan without their cooperation,” he said.

“Releasing classified documents could put in jeopardy American lives,” Mullen said.