Iraq war leaks 'reveal the truth'

Iraq war leaks 'reveal the truth'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says Iraq war documents 'reveal the truth'


The man behind the posting of 400,000 leaked classified US military reports on the internet said that he wanted to reveal the truth behind the Iraq war.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told a news conference in London that they were seeking to create the "maximum political impact possible" through their latest release.

"This disclosure is about the truth," he said. "We hope to correct some of that attack on the truth that occurred before the war, during the war, and which has continued on since the war officially concluded."

He added: "While I am not sure we have achieved the maximum possible (political impact) I think we are getting pretty close."

Mr Assange said that the reports documented 109,000 deaths - including 66,000 civilians, of which 15,000 were previously undocumented.

"That tremendous scale should not make us blind to the small human scale in this material. It is the deaths of one and two people per event that killed the overwhelming number of people in Iraq," he said.

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the timing of the documents' release raises questions about whether it was motivated by politics.

Mr Maliki, a Shiite, has been fighting for more than seven months to keep his job after national elections in March failed to produce a clear winner. A statement released by his office said the documents show no proof of any improper treatment of detainees while Mr Maliki has been at the helm of the Iraqi government.

Solicitor Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers said some of the deaths documented in the reports could have involved British forces and would now be the subject of legal action through the UK courts.

"Some of these deaths will be in circumstances where the UK have a very clear legal responsibility," he said. "This may be because the Iraqis died while under the effective control of UK forces - under arrest, in vehicles, helicopters or detention facilities."