Taskforce to examine WikiLeaks cables

A taskforce has been assembled of soldiers and political officials to examine the hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables released by whistle-blower’s site WikiLeaks.

Attorney general Robert McClelland has said the Federal Police have been instructed to investigate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as well, who is Australian born.

Fairfax has reported that the taskforce was formed earlier this week and will continue to examine the cables as they are gradually released by the site. The taskforce also comes as McClelland condemned the release of the cables, saying that the release is of “real concern”.

”Every indication is that some of the documentation could relate to national security classified documentation [and] could prejudice the safety of people referred to in the documentation, and indeed could be damaging to the national security interests of the United States and its allies.”