The War Logs
The War Logs
An archive of classified military documents offers views of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Iraq Documents
The archive is the second cache obtained by the independent organization WikiLeaks and made available to several news
organizations. The Iraq documents shed new light on the war.
Continue Reading Series Introduction »
Andrew Testa for The New York Times
WikiLeaks Founder on the Run, Chased by Turmoil
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, faces a variety of challenges after his most brazen disclosure yet: posting 391,832 secret Pentagon documents on the Iraq war. Twelve weeks earlier, he had posted some 77,000 documents on the Afghan conflict.
Growing Use of Contractors Added to War’s Chaos
The reports describe episodes in the Iraq war in which private security contractors were involved in shootouts, killed civilians and were themselves killed.
A Mix of Trust and Despair Helped Turn the Tide in Iraq
While each conflict is different, an analysis of the reports from Afghanistan and Iraq suggests that while some Iraqis decided to work with American troops, Afghans have lost faith in the Americans’ ability to protect them.
Tensions Remain High Along Kurdish-Arab Line
American officials fear what may happen in northern Iraq when American troops leave the country in 2011.
Deadly Day in Baghdad
On a single day in Baghdad, Dec. 20, 2006, more than 160 Iraqi citizens and police officers were killed in a single day.
Archive Offers Grim Portrait Of Civilian Deaths
According to the reports, most Iraqi civilians were killed by other Iraqis in violence that was driven by sectarian cleansing.
Detainees Suffered Most In Iraqi Custody, U.S. Logs Say
Reports of the beatings surfaced in the documents, giving the impression that such treatment was not an exception.
Iran’s Role in Aiding Iraqi Miltias Is Detailed in Reports
The political struggle between the United States and Iran to influence events in Iraq continues today.
A Selection of the Dispatches
Browse selected reports from a secret archive of classified military documents.
Latest Updates
WikiLeaks Founder Gets Support in Rebuking U.S. on Whistle-Blowers
Julian Assange and Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, lashed out at the Obama administration’s aggressive pursuit of whistle-blowers.
Leaked Reports Stir Political Disputes in Iraq
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki denounced the reports, while his opponents called them an indictment of his administration.
Related Coverage
THE GUARDIAN
Secret Files Reveal How U.S. Turned Blind Eye to Iraq Torture
Huge leak of military logs exposes serial abuse of detainees, 15,000 previously unknown deaths and full toll of Iraq's years of carnage.
More from The Guardian »
CBS NEWS
Gen. McChrystal: WikiLeaks a Sad Situation
The general, who ran special operations in Iraq before going on to command American forces in Afghanistan, has deplored the leaks.
DER SPIEGEL
Why We Published the Documents
Der Speigel's English language Web site predicts that the documents will become “the basis for writing any history of the Iraq war in the future.”
FORBES
Wikileaks Hacked By “Very Skilled” Attackers
A staffer wrote earlier this week on the organization's Twitter feed that its “communications infrastructure is currently under attack.”
Kevin Frayer/Associated Press
American Marines during a gunbattle in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Pakistan Spy Service Aids Insurgents, Reports Assert
A trove of military documents made public on Sunday by an organization called WikiLeaks reflects deep suspicions among American officials that Pakistan’s military spy service has for years guided the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand, even as Pakistan receives more than $1 billion a year from Washington for its help combating the militants.
Selection of the Dispatches
Inside the Fog of War: Reports From the Ground in Afghanistan
The military and intelligence reports provide a real-time history of the Afghan war from the vantage point of American troops actually doing the fighting and reconstruction.
In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks ‘Transparency’
An online organization wants to combat “unethical behavior” by governments and corporations, but critics say it endangers the privacy of others for the sake of self-promotion.
Gritty Outpost’s Best Intentions Reaped Only a Bitter End
The fate of Combat Outpost Keating illustrates many of the frustrations of the allied effort: low troop levels, unreliable Afghan partners and a growing insurgency.
Video: White House Press Secretary RespondsLatest Updates
Document Leak May Hurt Efforts to Build War Support
Congress may debate war funding Tuesday, and the disclosure of a trove of classified documents could add pressure on President Obama to defend his strategy to lawmakers.
Related Coverage
NPR
Reporter's View: How The WikiLeaks Story Developed
The Times's national security reporter Mark Mazzetti discusses the reporting process.
ProPublica
Pentagon Papers Reporter: What the War Logs Tell Us
Neil Sheehan, the former New York Times reporter, shares what the leaks say about Afghanistan.
The Guardian
Whose Side Is Pakistan On?
WikiLeaks reports have galvanized opinions of some Americans who view the Pakistani military with suspicion. More from The Guardian »
Der Spiegel
Interview With Julian Assange
The WikiLeaks founder talks about the importance of leaking truth to power. More from Der Spiegel »
Talk to the Newsroom
Editors and reporters answered questions from readers about The Times’s coverage of the classified military documents.