I just got a call from Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros, a spokesman for the Defense Department. I relayed to him my conversation with the GAO official, who said the Pentagon was refusing to declassify data showing the number of enemy attacks in Iraq for the months of September, October and November.
“That’s an interesting accusation from your source,” Ballesteros said. As it happens, the Pentagon is releasing a report today at 5 p.m. on “back trends in violence” in Iraq, he informed me.
Does it contain the three-month attack data the Pentagon declined to allow the GAO to include in its report?
Ballesteros paused. “There’s information about attacks. Okay?” he replied. “Why don’t you wait until 5 o’clock?”
According to another official, the report will be posted to the DoD Web site, at http://www.defenselink.mil.