By Saniya Ghanoui -- July 27, 2010
President Barack Obama said Tuesday the reports revealed in leaked military documents about Afghanistan was not new information and defended his call for a troop surge in that country.
The documents, that were sent to the website Wikileaks and published in several newspapers, discuss the policies of the Bush Administration regarding Afghanistan and contained reports on Osama bin Laden.
One report noted it had been "years" since the United States received reliable information about bin Laden.
In a speech from the Rose Garden, Obama commented for the first time about the leaks.
"While I am concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations, the fact is these documents do not reveal any issues that have not already informed our public debate on Afghanistan," said Obama.
"For seven years, we failed to implement a strategy adequate to the challenge in this region," Obama said. He said it was Afghanistan, not Iraq, where the plans for September 11th started.
"That's why we have substantially increased our commitment there, insisted upon greater accountability from Afghanistan and Pakistan, developed a new strategy that can work. Now we have to see that strategy through."
The army said it will conduct a criminal investigation into the person who leaked the documents.
According to Wikileaks, the reports are from 2004 to 2010 and come from differing military units within Afghanistan. The information was written mainly by soldiers and intelligence officers.
(Photo courtesy: AP Images)
