Pentagon warns leak of secret Afghan war files has put troops, Afghan informants at risk

Pentagon warns of fallout from leak of war files

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top officials are warning that the leak of some 91,000 secret war files has put U.S. troops and Afghan informants at risk.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday told reporters that the U.S. had a “moral responsibility” to protect any individuals who might be in danger. He also said the military was reviewing its rules for safeguarding classified information.

Gates described the leak as a “mountain of raw data” that didn’t shed new light on U.S. policy but could aid the enemy on the battlefield.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen said that WikiLeaks — the organization that published the files — “might already have on their hands the blood of a young soldier or that of an Afghan family.”