Wikileaks defends Iraq logs publication

The founder of whistleblowing website Wikileaks has defended its decision to publish thousands of secret US military documents on the Iraq war.

Julian Assange told reporters at a news conference: "This disclosure is about the truth".

The documents suggest US commanders ignored evidence of torture by the Iraqi authorities, and are said to reveal more than 15,000 previously unreported civillian deaths.

A US Department of Defense spokesman dismissed the logs as raw observations by tactical units, which were only snapshots of tragic events.