If the information on the progress of the war from the much-ballyhooed Wikileaks publication of 92,000 documents didn’t come as a big surprise to Americans who have paid attention to the Af-Pak theater, it apparently will come as a big surprise to those in Afghanistan who have worked with US forces. Julian Assange’s leak included the names of hundreds of informants and people working with US forces in Afghanistan. Those people will now have to be protected, and it’s not likely they’ll be replaced:

Hundreds of Afghan civilians who worked as informants for the U.S. military have been put at risk by WikiLeaks’ publication of more than 90,000 classified intelligence reports which name and in many cases locate the individuals, The Times newspaper reported Wednesday.

The article says, in spite of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s claim that sensitive information had been removed from the leaked documents, that reporters scanning the reports for just a couple hours found hundreds of Afghan names mentioned as aiding the U.S.-led war effort.

One specific example cited by the paper is a report on an interview conducted by military officers of a potential Taliban defector. The militant is named, along with his father and the village in which they live.

“The leaks certainly have put in real risk and danger the lives and integrity of many Afghans,” a senior official at the Afghan foreign ministry told The Times on condition of anonymity. “The U.S. is both morally and legally responsible for any harm that the leaks might cause to the individuals, particularly those who have been named. It will further limit the U.S./international access to the uncensored views of Afghans.”

Well, let’s make that the Americans and the Swedes. Bradley Manning, Assange’s source within the US military, will face trial for his crimes in passing along classified material. If any of these people get killed after their exposure, he should be charged with at least being an accessory to their murders. But the man who actually published their names is hiding behind the skirts of the Swedish government, which allows Assange to publish classified material with no consequences.

Assange himself travels constantly to avoid arrest. Let’s hope that strategy fails soon. He will have blood on his hands, thanks to this despicable act. It’s a publicity stunt for Assange, and a death sentence to people who helped us, and most likely their families as well. And for what? Just to learn what anyone reading Long War Journal already knew.

What will this mean for the war effort? The US will probably have to move all of the people named in the documents and their families, which means they won’t be able to continue in their current efforts. After this exposure, we’ll have a lot of trouble finding anyone else who wants to work with us on the ground in Afghanistan, which makes our efforts there a hell of a lot more complicated, and will probably result in more dead Americans as well as Afghans.

* * * * *

An observation and then a few factoids to give perspective:

Observation: in a different time and place, Manning and Assange would disappear and be forgotten or have unfortunate fatal accidents. Stuff happens. Now they'll be rich and famous. I miss the old days.

Factoids: the craft of intelligence is subdivided into many "-INT"s based loosely on the collection technique. Way back in history, intelligence consisted of observing something directly or maybe stealing/capturing maps or documents. That was, and still is, one of the best intelligence sources: human intelligence or HUMINT (spies).

Nowadays we can intercept enemy radar and telemetry signals: SIGINT. We can eavesdrop on enemy communications: COMINT. - and so on... lots of -INTs. The Washington  D.C. weenies at the top of the food chain like the expensive stuff, the satellites and drones and electro-magic goodies just jammed full of awsomeness. They have lost sight of the fact that often the only way to obtain information and knowledge that you desperately need is through human eyes and ears.

You can't just send your own guy in to sit in on Osama Bin Laden's weekly staff meeting either. It takes a long time to find the right guy who's willing to cooperate or vulnerable to being coerced to cooperate. It takes time to train him on collection techniques, acting techniques (to stay undetected), etc. He should speak with the correct local dialect or have a reason why not, have the right cover stories and all the details you can imagine. Each source is a big investment.

The source is compensated for his work, and must be trusted not to betray himself by displaying hints of his new income. He must also be trusted not to turn on his handler and betray him or her to the enemy. In turn, the source places his life in the hands of his handler and his organization.

The highest concern among honorable intelligence officers has always been to protect their sources. Many of our intelligence documents had an inscription underneath and reinforcing the SECRET classification imprint which said: "Sensitive Sources and Methods Involved". This was to warn that compromise of the document would not only do the damage that disclosing secret information to the enemy would cause, but also that there was information or photos in the document that the enemy could trace back to one specific spy, who would be killed.

Opinion: So, why did Manning and Assange do it? Fame? Glory? Pulitzer Prize?

How about we tattoo "Comfort Station" in Dari and Pashtu on their butts and parachute them into a Taliban base camp?

07/31/10 UPDATE

Taliban Spokesman says They Will Hunt Down and Kill Afghan Informants Outed in WikiLeaks Documents
Posted by John Schulenburg on Friday, July 30, 2010, 12:49 PM

A Taliban spokesman has issued a warning that all US Spies revealed in the documents will be hunted down and killed.

via the Telegraph

The Taliban has issued a warning to Afghans whose names might appear on the leaked Afghanistan war logs as informers for the Nato-led coalition.

In an interview with Channel 4 News, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said they were studying and investigating the report, adding “If they are US spies, then we know how to punish them.”

The warning came as the US military’s top officer, Admiral Mike Mullen said that Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, may already have blood on his hands following the leak of 92,000 classified documents relating to the war in Afghanistan by his website.

“Mr Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he thinks he and his source are doing, but the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family,” he said.

The countless lives that have been put in danger because of the leak of these documents is unprecedented. Who knows how many names are in those docs.

And it’s not just Julian Assange who will have blood on his hands because of this leak. A Wall Street Journal article yesterday reported that Investigators found concrete evidence that PFC. Bradley Manning was the source of the leak.

Investigators have found concrete evidence linking Pfc. Bradley Manning with the leak of classified Afghanistan war reports, a U.S. defense official said.

A search of the computers used by Pfc. Manning yielded evidence he had downloaded the Afghanistan war logs, which span from 2004 until 2009, the official said. It’s not clear precisely what that evidence is.

PFC Bradley Manning
aka Alfred E. Newman