Pentagon probing alleged distorting of war intel

The Pentagon’s inspector general is investigating an allegation that the US military command overseeing the anti-Islamic State campaign distorted or altered intelligence assessments to exaggerate progress against the militant group, a defense official says.

The official was not authorized to discuss the probe publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The investigation was first disclosed by The New York Times. The paper reported that the investigation began after at least one civilian Defense Intelligence Agency analyst told authorities that he had evidence that officials at US Central Command were improperly reworking conclusions of assessments prepared for policy makers, including President Barack Obama.

Details of the allegations were not available. A spokeswoman for the inspector general’s office, Bridget Serchak, declined to comment.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook says he could not confirm the probe. The Pentagon typically does not publicly comment on the work of the inspector general’s office, which is an independent arm of the Defense Department.

Cook says Defense Secretary Ash Carter “counts on independent intelligence and analysis from a variety of sources to help him make critical decisions about the nation’s security.”

— AP