Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell called the latest Internet publication of classified military documents “an extraordinary disservice to … men and women in uniform,” during an Oct. 22 press conference at the Pentagon. The release by WikiLeaks, the Web-based organization that specializes in publication of materials otherwise unavailable for public viewing, involves roughly 400,000 such documents relating to wartime operations in Iraq between May 2004 and March 2009. According to WikiLeaks, the released materials show that 66,000 “civilians,” nearly 24,000 “enemy,” and 3,771 “friendly” forces died during hostilities in that period. Because of the leak, which follows a smaller, similar one in July that related to Afghanistan operations, “gives our enemies … much more to mine, and it puts our forces in that much more danger,” Morrell said in the press conference.