The Hill News

Leaked classified documents about U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan underscore why troops should be withdrawn, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said Thursday. 

Feingold, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and an advocate for drawing down troops in Afghanistan, condemned the release of classified documents to the website WikiLeaks, but said the leaked documents proved his point. 

“I’m deeply troubled at the release of this kind of information,” Feingold said during an appearance on MSNBC. “That doesn’t change the fact that this information [that] came out reinforces why this war is a mistake.”

Feingold is among a handful of Senate Democrats to force the administration to set a timetable on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He opposed President Obama’s decision to surge troops into that country. 

The WikiLeaks documents, which led to a story in the New York Times, detailed coordination between the intelligence agency in Pakistan and Taliban and al Qaeda.

“I’m unhappy about its release, but it does reinforce the view that I’ve had for a long time about our Afghanistan policy,” Feingold said, adding that the leak of the materials should be “held responsible.”