Basra: missing radioactive material can be used in dirty bomb
Iraq launches probe into missing “highly dangerous” radioactive material stolen from a depot in the southern part of the country. The fear is it might have ended up in the hands of the Islamic State or other jihadi groups. So far, Baghdad has been silence citing "national security" concerns.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Iraqi authorities have launched a probe into the theft of "highly dangerous" radioactive material last November at a storage facility near the southern city of Basra. This has raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used in a dirty bomb.
Baghdad had reported the stolen material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November but had not requested assistance to recover it.
The stolen device contained up to 10 grams of Ir-192 "capsules”, a radioactive isotope of iridium also used to treat cancer.
The material, Reuters reports, was stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, at a depot belonging to US oilfield services company Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province.
A spokesman for Iraq's Environment Ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns.
For the US State Department, nothing so far indicates that the Islamic State group or other militant groups have acquired it; however, the US agency said it was concerned about the report and remained on alert.
In a statement, Weatherford said that it was not responsible or liable for the theft. Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, which owns the material, declined to comment.
The IAEA said the material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source, meaning that if not managed properly it could cause permanent injury to a person in close proximity to it for minutes or hours, and could be fatal to someone exposed for a period of hours to days.
Large quantities of Ir-192 have gone missing before in the United States, Great Britain and other countries, stoking fears among security officials that the material could be used to make a dirty bomb.
"We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh," said a Iraqi senior security official with knowledge of the theft. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
Iraq’s Environment Ministry said that counter-radiation teams have begun inspecting oil sites, scrapyards and border crossings to locate the device.
Police and intelligence forces are also working "day and night" to locate the material.
Hospitals are also on alert in case individuals with burns caused by radioactivity show up.
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