Wikileaks: Classified report detailed assassination shortcomings

By Jamie Crawford, CNN National Security Producer

updated 5:31 PM EST, Thu December 18, 2014

A classified CIA document was posted by the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks on Thursday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- Targeted assassinations or the capture of senior insurgent leaders in larger counterinsurgency operations can provide both positive and negative outcomes according to a classified CIA document posted by the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks on Thursday.

The use of so-called high-value targeting, or HVT, programs are the subject of a document titled "Best Practices in Counterinsurgency" and labeled as secret -- and not for the eyes of foreign nations -- dates back to July 2009 in the early days of the Obama administration.

According to the document, the CIA assessed the results of such operations by either U.S. government personnel or other countries during operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Israel and eight other countries.

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Use of high-value targeting programs can have beneficial effects such as eroding insurgent effectiveness, weakening insurgent will, and fragmenting or splitting the insurgent group among others.

However, the report cites the possibility of increasing the level of support for insurgent groups, radicalizing an insurgent group's remaining leaders and creating a vacuum for additional radical groups to enter as potential adverse effects for such operations.

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Wikileaks: Classified report detailed assassination shortcomings