WikiLeaks releases Iraq War documents

Whistle-blowing web site WikiLeaks has come good on its promise to release the largest set of classified military documents in history, reportedly alleging killings, torture and abuse by Allied troops in Iraq.

The 391,832 reports, dubbed 'The Iraq War Logs', document the war and occupation in Iraq from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2009 as told by soldiers in the US Army.

The Guardian reported that deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has called for an investigation into the allegations contained in the reports.

WikiLeaks has consistently ignored warnings from the Pentagon that the disclosure of such documents could put the lives of its troops and allies at risk.

"Each [document] is a 'SIGACT', or Significant Action, in the war," noted a posting on the WikiLeaks homepage.

"They detail events as seen and heard by US military troops on the ground in Iraq, and are the first real glimpse into the secret history of the war that the US government has been privy to throughout."

The reports detail 109,032 deaths in Iraq, 66,081 of which were 'civilians', 23,984 'enemy', 15,196 'host nation' (Iraqi government forces) and 3,771 'friendly' (coalition forces).

Over 60 per cent of the deaths were civilian, making the Iraq War five times as lethal as the Afghan War, about which WikiLeaks released secret army documents in August.

"Wikileaks' public disclosure last week of a large number of documents has already threatened the safety of our troops, our allies and Afghan citizens," said Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morell at the time.