From Friday’s press gaggle with Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman.
WikiLeaks
The Pentagon is still denying that there has been any direct communication between the whistleblower website WikiLeaks and relevant officials within the Department of Defense.
As for Thursday’s story from the Washington Times on members of the armed services and DoD personnel being prohibited from viewing the site, Whitman says that the decision was made to prevent employees from “[infecting] our unclassified systems by bringing classified information onto those systems.”
Whitman would not give much detail on the steps taken to protect Afghan informants revealed in the leaked documents, but said that a task force has been developed to mitigate harm incurred from their publication.
Pakistani Aid
According to the latest information on the U.S. relief effort in Pakistan following the nation’s floods, there are 6 U.S. helicopters performing search and rescue missions. Approximately 800 people were rescued on Thursday.