Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security fears

Iraqi officials disclosed early Wednesday that they have been struggling to locate “highly dangerous” radioactive materials that went missing past year.

“We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh”, said a senior security official with knowledge of the theft, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.

Unlike the complex fission process needed to make a nuclear weapon, a dirty bomb does not use nuclear material in a conventional bomb format that can contaminate the area. Nonetheless, this and other radioactive materials can readily be used to make a radiological dispersal device (RDD), one of which is a dirty bomb.

Either way, United States oil services company Weatherford, reported in the Iraqi documents as the owner of the storage facility, insists the theft is not its fault, nor are they economically liable for anything that might happen, pointing the finger at Turkish inspection company SGS, who they say owns the iridium in the first place.

A spokesman for Iraq’s environment ministry refused to comment on the allegations.

It said another company called SGS was the operator of the depot and was “solely responsible”.

Furthermore, a senior environment ministry official in Basra who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity claimed that the missing material actually contained as much as 10 grams or 0.35 ounces of Ir-192 “capsules”.

The ministry document added that the material, which is deadly to humans, posed a risk of bodily and environmental harm as well as a national security threat.

He said there were “no broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry”.

The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports but has seen no sign that ISIS or other militant groups have acquired it.

Even a lower-level radiation bomb could cause widespread panic and fear, said Ryan Mauro, adjunct professor at Clarion Project, a US think tank that tracks terrorism.

Security officials have expressed concern that terrorist forces could use the materials to launch a massive attack in Iraq or elsewhere in the region.

“If they left it in some crowded place, that would be more of the risk, if they kept it together but without shielding”, Albright said, according to Reuters, adding: “Certainly it’s not insignificant. They would want to get this back”, he said. Counter radiation teams have also begun to inspect oil sites, scrapyards and border crossings in their search for the lost iridium.

Chris Hunter, a former bomb disposal officer, told RT that IS may already have enough material for a dirty bomb as the group has gained control over huge areas with dams, power facilities and hospitals where they can take radioactive materials.