An American soldier faces his first day on trial accused of the biggest leak of classified information in US history, with prosecutors saying his actions aided the enemy. Private Bradley Manning, 25, is charged with providing more than 700,000 documents to WikiLeaks, an anti-secrecy website, including a video showing an Apache helicopter kill a group of civilians and two Reuters journalists in Iraq.

He said the move was intended to spark renewed debate on US military action. But the government says the leaks damaged national security and endangered American lives. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.

The military trial at Fort Meade, Maryland, is expected to run until at least late August. Prosecutors have said they expect to call more than 100 witnesses. Civil liberties groups say the court-martial has been shrouded in secrecy and threatens to stifle whistleblowers.

Read the full report on Al Jazeera

Photograph: Reuters