Britain spied on Argentina until 2011 over fears that it would try to retake Falklands, CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden claims

• Snowden claimed Britain was spying on Argentina between 2006 and 2011  
• Revelations come after Britain's discovery of oil in the Falklands last week
• Britain already pledged £180m to stave off 'any future and possible threats'
• Argentina say Britain should spend more helping its own poor instead

British agents spied on Argentina until 2011 over fears it would try to reclaim the Falklands Islands, former CIA worker Edward Snowden has claimed. 

Documents released by the American whistleblower allege Britain was actively spying on Argentina between 2006 and 2011.

There has been no official response from Britain or Argentina to the claims, which were published by several Argentine news agencies.

The documents include allegations Britain implanted computer viruses and circulated false propaganda to discredit the Argentine government, it has been reported.   

Documents released by Edward Snowden (pictured) claim Britain was spying on Argentina between 2006 and 2011, according to media reports there 

The South American state still claims territorial rights to the islands, which they refer to as 'Malvinas' 

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (right) pays tribute to the soldiers who died in the conflict during the commemoration of the 33rd anniversary in Ushuaia last week

Snowden now lives in Russia having fled the US via Hong Kong after revealing extensive internet and phone surveillance by US intelligence.

The revelations come in the wake of already heightened tensions with the discovery of oil in the Falklands by the British last week on what was the 33rd anniversary of the battle.

Britain has already pledged £180million over the next 10 years to beef up its defences of the Falklands to take into account 'any future and possible threats' to the islands. 

Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982, leading to a conflict that cost 260 British and 650 Argentine lives. 

The South American state still claims territorial rights to the remote, wind-swept islands from Spain when it gained independence.  

Britain argues it has historically ruled the islands and the islanders should have the right to self-determination. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8 per cent voted to remain a British overseas territory. 

The row over the sovereignty of the islands, which Argentina calls Malvinas, could be intensified by Britain's oil find.

After nine months of exploratory drilling, a group of British companies found oil and gas at the Zebedee exploratory well, in the north of the islands. 

The find, announced by British firms that share the exploration area (Premier Oil, Rockhopper Exploration and Falkland Oil & Gas), could be worth billions of pounds and will increase fears of renewed conflict over the British overseas territory.   

In a sign of worsening relations, Argentine foreign ministry officials say they will prosecute oil companies operating near the Falklands.

The officials claim companies active there are operating illegally in Argentine territory. 

A war veteran and relatives sing the national anthem during a ceremony remembering the Argentine soldiers killed during the Falklands war in Buenos Aires

Argentina says it has a right to the islands, which it calls the Malvinas, because it inherited them from the Spanish crown in the early 1800s

Kirchner used the anniversary - commemorated in Argentina as the Day of the Veterans and Fallen of the Malvinas Islands War - to criticise Britain's announcement it will beef up its defence of the islands

Kirchner told the crowd: 'We will see the islands form part of our territory again. It's not just wishful thinking'

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The Argentine President poses with war veterans during the ceremony that paid tribute to fallen soldiers

Kirchner throws a rose into the water to honour the soldiers who fell during the 1982 Falklands conflict

The South American state still claims territorial rights to the remote, wind-swept islands from Spain when it gained independence

33 YEARS ON: THE FALKLANDS WAR

On April 2 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a remote UK colony in the South Atlantic. This led to a brief, but bitter conflict. 

Argentina's military junta hoped to restore its support at a time of economic crisis, by reclaiming sovereignty of the islands. It said it had inherited them from Spain in the 1800s and they were close to South America.

The UK, which had ruled the islands for 150 years, quickly chose to fight. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said the 1,800 Falklanders were 'of British tradition and stock'.

In the fighting that followed, 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lost their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders.

In recent weeks, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has warned of a 'very live threat' from Buenos Aires. 

To stave off Argentinian aggression, he pledged to pump £180million into defending the islands over the next decade. 

The money will be spent on the upgrade of a surface-to-air missile system and the deployment of two Chinook helicopters. 

The commitment came after it was revealed earlier this year Russia could be helping to re-arm Argentina. 

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez condemned the move and said Britain should spend more helping its own poor instead.

Delivering a speech to honour her country's war dead in the conflict, she said: 'What a paradox when there are more than one million Britons eating at the food banks they have had to open in one of the most powerful countries in the world.

'Don't worry. Don't spend another pound sterling on defending the Malvinas.

'Spend your money feeding the English, on providing jobs for your young people and a better quality of life for the British, because we are not a threat to anyone.'

In a bold statement, she added: 'We will see the islands form part of our territory again. It's not just wishful thinking.'  

She has also ordered the declassification of all her country's secret documents on the war.   

Last year, the Top Gear cast and crew were chased out of Argentina by mobs angered by a H982 FKL licence plate on Jeremy Clarkson's Porsche.  

The host, who was recently sacked from his role at the BBC, feared 'lives were at stake' as he sheltered with fellow presenters James May and Richard Hammond while an angry gang of locals rampaged through the building looking for them.

The BBC crew was hounded out of the country as locals claimed the controversial licence plate referred to the 1982 conflict, inflaming long-running tensions.