Iraq Rebels Steal Nuclear Material

07-10-2014 • Next News Network

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