Iraq Rebels Steal Nuclear Material

Militant forces seeking to overthrow the government in Iraq have seized supplies of uranium. The material was stolen from Mosel University. The theft was confirmed by a report from the Iraqi government to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Nuclear officials say the material presents little risk, and cannot be used to create an atomic weapon, without extensive processing. Up to 90 pounds of uranium were obtained by the militants.

Gill Tudor, spokesperson for the watchdog group said, “On the basis of the initial information we believe the material involved is low-grade and would not present a significant safety, security or nuclear proliferation risk.”

One of the risks of te theft is the possibility of dirty bombs. These are not atomic weapons, like those used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Instead, these bombs contain conventional explosives, laced with radioactive material.

Damage would not be great after the detonation of such a device. However, news that a radioactive device had ignited could set off a panic in surrounding areas. Dirty bombs are mostly a psychological weapon, designed to produce widespread fear.

Armed Sunni groups have gained control of many areas in Iraq in the last two months. The theft occurred last month as the forces of ISIS closed in on the capital city of Baghdad.

The theft took place just days after the government of Nouri al-Maliki signed an international agreement to limited the proliferation of nuclear materials.

One day before they acquired the uranium, members of ISIS took control of a former chemical weapons facility.

In 2003, the Bush Administration ordered American troops to invade Iraq, claiming weapons of mass destruction were in the possession of Saddam Hussein. News of the loss of so much uranium is causing concern that such weapons could be constructed and used in the conflict.