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Iraq's prime minister has criticised the timing of the release by Wikileaks of almost 400,000 secret US military documents about the conflict there.
Nouri Maliki's office accused it of trying to sabotage his bid to form a new government by stoking up anger 'against national parties and leaders, especially the prime minister'.
Mr Maliki is struggling to keep his job after inconclusive elections in March.
Wikileaks said the disclosure was aimed at revealing the truth about the war.
Its founder, Julian Assange, said the records showed there had been 'a bloodbath on every corner' and provided evidence of war crimes.
'We hope to correct some of that attack on the truth that occurred before the war, during the war and which has continued on since the war officially concluded,' he told a news conference in London.
But the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, strongly condemned the disclosure of classified information.
In a posting on Twitter, he called Wikileaks 'irresponsible' and said the website puts 'lives at risk and gives adversaries valuable information'.
'Media games'
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the Wikileaks revelations have attracted relatively little interest among Iraqis, although they triggered an angry response from the office of Prime Minister Maliki.
It issued a statement saying that publishing the documents while negotiations over a new government continued was suspicious, but also expressed confidence in the Iraqi people's 'awareness regarding such games or media bubbles that are motivated by known political goals'.
Mr Maliki's office also said the records did not present any proof of detainees being tortured in Iraqi-run facilities during his premiership.
Instead, the statement praised him as courageous for taking a tough stance against terrorists. It did not offer any further details.
Earlier, a government spokesman admitted that 'violations' had taken place but that these did not reflect official policy and were punished when discovered However, there is no record of any official having been jailed for torture after successive scandals starting in 2005.
The Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc of the former Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, said the allegations demonstrated why it was important to have a power-sharing government, and why Mr Maliki should step aside.
'Putting all the security powers in the hands of one person, who is the general commander of the armed forces, have led to these abuses and torture practices in Iraqi prisons,' spokeswoman Maysoun al-Damlouji told the Associated Press.
'Maliki wants to have all powers in his hands,' she added.
Iraqiya narrowly won the most seats in the general election, but has refused to participate in a government led by Mr Maliki, who has been nominated by the country's main Shia coalition, the National Alliance.
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Mr Maliki is struggling to keep his job after inconclusive elections in March.
Wikileaks said the disclosure was aimed at revealing the truth about the war.
Its founder, Julian Assange, said the records showed there had been 'a bloodbath on every corner' and provided evidence of war crimes.
'We hope to correct some of that attack on the truth that occurred before the war, during the war and which has continued on since the war officially concluded,' he told a news conference in London.
But the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, strongly condemned the disclosure of classified information.
In a posting on Twitter, he called Wikileaks 'irresponsible' and said the website puts 'lives at risk and gives adversaries valuable information'.
'Media games'
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the Wikileaks revelations have attracted relatively little interest among Iraqis, although they triggered an angry response from the office of Prime Minister Maliki.
It issued a statement saying that publishing the documents while negotiations over a new government continued was suspicious, but also expressed confidence in the Iraqi people's 'awareness regarding such games or media bubbles that are motivated by known political goals'.
Mr Maliki's office also said the records did not present any proof of detainees being tortured in Iraqi-run facilities during his premiership.
Instead, the statement praised him as courageous for taking a tough stance against terrorists. It did not offer any further details.
Earlier, a government spokesman admitted that 'violations' had taken place but that these did not reflect official policy and were punished when discovered However, there is no record of any official having been jailed for torture after successive scandals starting in 2005.
The Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc of the former Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, said the allegations demonstrated why it was important to have a power-sharing government, and why Mr Maliki should step aside.
'Putting all the security powers in the hands of one person, who is the general commander of the armed forces, have led to these abuses and torture practices in Iraqi prisons,' spokeswoman Maysoun al-Damlouji told the Associated Press.
'Maliki wants to have all powers in his hands,' she added.
Iraqiya narrowly won the most seats in the general election, but has refused to participate in a government led by Mr Maliki, who has been nominated by the country's main Shia coalition, the National Alliance.
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