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Rumsfeld Says al Qaeda is Learning From Media Leaks
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
By Esther Schrader
The Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- LATWP
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned senior military and civilian officials at the Pentagon this week that classified information obtained by the media is being used by Al-Qaeda operatives to plan attacks on the US, according to a memo obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

In the July 12 memo, Rumsfeld wrote that the ongoing leaking of information from the Pentagon to the media ‘‘is damaging our country’s ability to stop terrorist acts and is putting American lives at risk.’’ He attached to the memo an unclassified CIA report, prepared at his request, saying Al-Qaeda planners ‘‘have learned much about our counter terrorist intelligence capabilities from US and foreign media.’’

Rumsfeld has been fierce about the need to keep the Pentagon’s secrets, and in the early days of the Afghanistan campaign he warned publicly that officials who leak information about the manoeuvers of special operations forces violate federal criminal law and put soldiers’ lives at risk.

But in this new memo, Rumsfeld acknowledged that the leaks have persisted. He asked his aides and heads of military services to ‘‘meet with your staff to discuss the seriousness of the damaging lack of professionalism we continue to see on a daily basis.’’

The memo was prompted by a New York Times report on the Pentagon’s plans to invade Iraq, a senior official said. The report infuriated Rumsfeld, Pentagon officials said.
(Indian-Express.com News Source)
2002 © LA Times Washington Post (LATWP)
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