A US military doctor who blogged the aftermath of the December mess hall bombing in Iraq has been forced to shut down the blog after being told his postings violate Army regulations.
Maj. Michael Cohen, a doctor with the 67th Combat Support Hospital unit, told AP that he received a written warning but was not told to what his superiors specifically objected.
On his site, he left the following message: “Levels above me have ordered, yes ORDERED, me to shut down this website. They cite that the information contained in these pages violates several Army Regulations. I certainly disagree with this,” he wrote.
A US Defense Department spokesperson in Iraq said the Pentagon allows blogs as long as their authors do not disrupt discipline in their units, make statements on behalf of commanders or the Army as a whole, or reveal operational details that could aid attackers.
Interestingly, the comment also provided proof that the Pentagon has an official blogging policy.