WikiLeaks to release Iraq war records

WikiLeaks is set to cause the US army yet more embarassment

WikiLeaks has revealed plans to release a cache of secret US military records relating to the war in Iraq in just a few weeks' time.

A Newsweek report said that the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism has teamed up with media outlets in a number of countries to produce documentaries and stories based on this collection of US military reports.

Ian Overton, editor of the organisation, told Newsweek that the media sites will release their stories on the same day, and that the volume of reports is likely to be greater than the 92,000 Afghan field reports leaked to WikiLeaks last month.

The whistle-blowing site was criticised by the US Department of Defense, which demanded the return of the top secret documents claiming that WikiLeaks' actions had threatened the safety of US and Allied troops.

WikiLeaks said that it is currently examining the Pentagon's request, and will issue a statement "in due course". However, the site is unlikely to comply given that it is preparing to go public with the huge collection of Iraqi documents.

It is unclear how big a role WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has had in the negotiations with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Assange is currently facing investigation by the Swedish authorities over allegations of rape, which his supporters have brushed off as attempts to smear his character.