Pentagon asks media to avoid WikiLeaks

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon urged news organizations on Monday not to publish classified US documents due to be released by WikiLeaks as US officials brace for a mass disclosure of leaked Iraq War files by the whistle-blower website.

WikiLeaks, which in July released some 70,000 US documents on the Afghanistan war, is expected soon to post on its website as many as 500,000 classified leaked US documents from the Iraq War. The US government in July condemned the release of the initial leaked documents, which painted a grim picture of the war in Afghanistan that began in 2001.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel David Lapan said the US military is "absolutely" urging WikiLeaks to "return the stolen documents to the United States government and ... not publish them." Lapan also appealed to the news media.