Are the leaks a game-changing bombshell? It’s hard to say. The documents mainly provide a new level of detail about two aspects of the war that have long been known:
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
What we already knew: Civilian deaths have been a problem since the Afghan war began. Not only are they tragic losses, but they also alienate citizens whose support is crucial and heighten U.S.-Afghan tensions. Afghan officials often accuse the U.S. of carelessness and of understating the toll. The U.S. military says it strives to avoid civilian deaths but can't completely quash them because enemy fighters hide among the populace.
What the leaks add: The documents “resemble a police blotter of the myriad ways Afghan civilians were killed” from 2004 through 2009 — not just the dozens killed in widely known strikes, but those killed by ones and twos in encounters gone wrong at checkpoints and friendly fire incidents in the field, says the New York Times. Many cases had not been reported publicly.
PAKISTAN'S ROLE
What we already knew: Pakistan's spy agency helped form the Taliban during Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s, and elements of the agency have been suspected of continuing the aid. U.S. officials for years have urged Pakistan to do more to wipe out Taliban and al-Qaida hide-outs on Pakistani soil and fight similar radical groups there. Pakistani officials say they do what they can.
What the leaks add: Some documents suggest that Pakistan let its spies meet directly with the Taliban to plan strategy, organize groups fighting Americans and hatch assassination plots, the Times reported. London's Guardian newspaper said the documents fall short of “smoking gun” proof of a Pakistan-Taliban conspiracy.
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