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Cross-border chases from Iraq
O.K., U.S. document says
Eric Schmitt and Michael R. Gordon
IHT
Monday February 4, 2008
American military forces in Iraq were authorized to pursue former
members of Saddam Hussein's government and terrorists across Iraq's
borders into Iran and Syria, according to a classified 2005 document
that has been made public by an independent Web site.
The document, which was disclosed by the organization Wikileaks
and which American officials said appeared authentic, outlined
the rules of engagement for the American division that was based
in Baghdad and central Iraq that year.
It also provided instructions for how to deal with the radical
Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr: his status as a hostile foe was
"suspended," and he and his key associates were not
to be attacked except in self-defense.
(Article continues below)
Wikileaks, a Web site that encourages posting of leaked materials,
says its goal in disclosing secret documents is to reveal "unethical
behavior" by governments and corporations. It has previously
posted the United States military's manual for operating its prison
in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; a military assessment of a 2004
attack in Falluja; and lists of American military equipment in
Iraq.
The American military command in Baghdad on Sunday sharply criticized
the group's decision to post the document.
"While we will not comment on whether this is, in fact,
an official document, we do consider the deliberate release of
what Wikileaks believes to be a classified document is irresponsible
and, if valid, could put U.S. military personnel at risk,"
said Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a spokesman for the command.
Rules of engagement in Iraq, which cover the procedures for using
force on a battlefield in which insurgents and terrorists mix
with civilians, have long been considered highly classified. The
American military's concern is that adversaries will be able to
adjust their tactics if they know the rules that describe the
specific circumstances in which force may and may not be used.
Full
article here.
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