Lawyers for US army private who gave reams of classified documents to WikiLeaks are asking a military judge to dismiss some of the charges at his court martial.

A military spokeswoman says attorneys for Pfc Bradley Manning filed the motions over the weekend after the prosecution rested last week. The trial is in its sixth week at Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Military spokeswoman Shaunteh Kelly did not know which charges the defence is seeking to dismiss. She says the four motions asked the judge to acquit Manning of some charges.

The military judge, Col Denise Lind, will consider the motions after the prosecutions responds to the filings.