S/ Africa to probe alleged leak of intelligence files
Warning of a threat to national security, a top South
African official on Wednesday condemned an alleged leak of South African
intelligence documents and said an investigation is underway.
The comments by David Mahlobo, South Africa's state security
minister, followed the publication this week of the purported spy files by The
Guardian and Al-Jazeera news organisations, reports AP.
The files, which were reportedly leaked, document past South
African monitoring of suspected Iranian spies as well as communication between
South African intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA and
Israel's Mossad spy agency.
Mahlobo said it is illegal to disclose classified
information.
"Such conduct has the dangerous effect of undermining
operational effectiveness of the work to secure this country, and borders on
undermining diplomatic relations with our partners in the international
community," he said in a statement.
"Any leakages of classified information undermine the
national security of any state," Mahlobo said.
He also noted that it was common for countries to share
intelligence on "cross-cutting issues" such as economic opportunities
and security matters.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's main opposition
party, has said the leak could hurt the credibility of the country's
intelligence service and damage its relationships with foreign spy agencies.
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