Officials said the leaked Pentagon documents pose a threat to the national security of the United States

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By Bernd Debussmann JR BBC News, Washington

50 minutes ago

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

photo caption,

The leaked documents seem to show very detailed US intelligence on the state of war between Ukraine and Russia

The Pentagon said the leak of classified US Department of Defense documents poses an “extremely serious” risk to national security.

The documents appear to include sensitive information about the war in Ukraine, as well as about China and US allies.

Officials say the files are in a format similar to documents issued to senior commanders.

An investigation has been launched to determine the source of the leak.

The documents – which officials believe have been altered – first appeared on online platforms such as Twitter, 4chan and Telegram, as well as on the Discord server of the video game “Minecraft”.

In addition to highly detailed information about the war in Ukraine, some of the leaked documents are said to shed light on sensitive media materials related to US allies.

Other documents are reported to focus on defense and security issues in the Middle East as well as in the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking to reporters Monday, a senior Pentagon official said the documents “pose a very serious national security risk and have the potential to spread disinformation.”

“We are still investigating how this happened and the scope of the case,” said Chris Meagher, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.

“There have been steps to take a closer look at how and to whom this type of information is distributed.”

Meagher declined to answer when asked if the Pentagon believed the documents were authentic, though he said some of them “appear to have been altered.”

The Justice Department is now investigating the leak, along with officials from the Pentagon, the White House, and elsewhere in the US government.

The format of the documents is similar to that “used to provide daily updates to our senior leaders on operations related to Ukraine and Russia, as well as other intelligence updates,” Meagher added.

He said the Pentagon first became aware of the document’s leak last week, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first briefed on the matter on April 6.

Mr. Major said the document’s leak prompted US officials to reassure allies “of our commitment to protecting intelligence and fidelity to our security partnerships.”

In a separate briefing, national security spokesman John Kirby said US President Joe Biden was first briefed on the leak last week.

When asked if the leak had been contained yet and if there were other documents yet to be released, Mr Kirby said “I don’t know”.

Some of the documents, for example, appear to outline US training and equipment being provided to Ukraine prior to the attack, as well as when various Ukrainian units will be ready and when the military supplies are expected to be delivered.

While Mr. Meagher declined to comment on the potential impact of the documents on the front lines in Ukraine, he said that “Ukrainians have shown their ability and competence in this war.”

President and Secretary [of defence] They have both made it clear that the United States will be with them as long as it takes.”

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