A senior official from the American military’s Central Command told reporters what some thought was too much information on the next pending battle against ISIS. He openly told the media, and thus the world, that the United States would be backing Iraqi and Kurdish troops to launch an attack on and hopefully reclaim the Iraqi city of Mosul. Not only did he give away the targeted location of attack, but he also disclosed the timing of the attack, April or May, and the size of the attacking force, around 25,000 Kurdish and Iraqi soldiers.

This hefty disclosure has shocked some and enraged others. Retired Major General James ‘Spider’ Marks said on CNN that this leak of information is “terribly unfortunate” and that these battle details “should not be public.” Senator John McCain, Arizona Republican and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, sent an angry letter to President Obama and the White House administration. The Senators demanded to know if the White House was behind the disclosures and said those responsible must be made accountable. The White House denies any involvement in the admissions, stating that the U.S. military has the liberty to choose what they disclose about their operations.

Even the new Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, was surprised by the briefing. A senior defense official told reporters, “The secretary is always concerned about operational security and wants us to be mindful that we don’t put information out there that isn’t necessary.” Carter specifically refused to tell reporters when the attack would take place, simply stating, “It’s important that it be launched at a time when it can succeed.” He did, however, tell reporters that the U.S. may slow down on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Weather the information leak about Mosul was a warning, a decoy, or simply just a blunder, only time will tell.