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Entitled the Afghan War Diary, the giant cache is also understood to reveal hundreds of Afghan civilians have been killed by coalition forces.
Details on covert efforts to "kill or capture" Taliban leaders are also reported to be included, along with US fears that its ally Pakistan's spies may be aiding insurgents.
The White House has "strongly condemned" the release of the files, which include communications between the military and diplomats from January 2004 to December 2009.
The Guardian, one of three newspapers to be given an early view of the leaks, described them as revealing a "devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan".
The paper said the reports reveal "how a secret 'black' unit of special forces hunts down Taliban leaders for kill or capture without trial" and "how the US covered up evidence that the Taliban has acquired deadly surface-to-air missiles".
But Guardian analysts said the files "fail to provide a convincing smoking gun" for links between Pakistani intelligence and the Taliban.
The New York Times, also privy to the leaked documents, disagrees, arguing the files describe US fears its ally was aiding the Afghan insurgency.
It says documents accuse Pakistani spies of meeting directly with the Taliban in "secret strategy sessions" to plot against US soldiers in Afghanistan.
German paper Der Spiegel, the third outlet given access, reported the records portray Afghan security officers as helpless victims of Taliban attacks.
The White House condemned the "irresponsible leaks" and reiterated its confidence in its "important bilateral partnership" with Pakistan.
National Security Adviser, General James Jones, said: "Wikileaks made no effort to contact us about these documents - the United States government learned from news organisations that these documents would be posted.
"These irresponsible leaks will not impact our ongoing commitment to deepen our partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan; to defeat our common enemies; and to support the aspirations of the Afghan and Pakistani people."
The developments come as the Taliban claimed to have killed a US sailor and kidnapped another.
Nato forces have continued a wide search for the missing servicemen, who disappeared two days ago in an area held by the militants.
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