President Barack Obama will try to block this month's planned release of photos showing US personnel allegedly abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan, agreeing with top military commanders' concerns that publicising the pictures could put American troops in extra danger, a White House official said today.
Obama decided he "did not feel comfortable" with the release and last week instructed his legal team to fight it in court, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president's decision had not yet been made public.
Obama has instructed administration lawyers to make the case that "the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court," the official said.
"The president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," the official said.