The company is refusing to comment, but the contents were reported to
be ten grams – a third of an ounce – of Iridium-192, which has medical
uses in the treatment of cancer.
Although the total reported by Reuters news agency to be involved is
far smaller than the quantity of nuclear material already known to have
been kept in hospitals and other facilities in areas seized by Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), Ir-192 is said to be highly
radioactive.
“That’s not a lot, but the stuff emits a considerable amount of gamma
radiation,” Mark Hibbs, an expert on nuclear materials at the Carnegie
Endowment, said.
He said that if it were dispersed, those who came into contact with
it for an extended period could suffer radiation poisoning and possible
death.
Large quantities of radioactive material – up to around 40kg, or 88 pounds – were reported to have fallen into the hands of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant when it seized Mosul in June 2014. The material was thought to be in the possession of universities and medical facilities in the city, Iraq’s second largest.
However it was not clear whether the quality of the material seized or the skills of Isil scientists were sufficient to use it even for a “dirty bomb”.
Iridium-192 could be dissolved in certain solvents and dispersed by conventional explosive. However, it has a short half life – around ten weeks – and the material was stolen in November, so the time in which it could usefully be deployed is disappearing fast.
The fear is that Isil might be preparing to use nuclear or chemical dirty bombs as it faces decline and possible defeat from the wide array of forces arrayed against it in Iraq and Syria. It has already used primitive chemical weapons such as mustard gas on the battlefield.
The Pentagon on Wednesday revelled in recent reports that the group was suffering a cash crisis, cutting salaries and offering to exchange prisoners for money.
US air raids have been targeting Isil cash reserves in recent weeks, with the Pentagon spokesman in Iraq, Col. Steve Warren, saying on Wednesday that a further ten “cash collection points” had been struck.
He said hundreds of millions of dollars in cash had been destroyed.
“We believe it was a significant series of strikes that have put a real dent in their wallet,” he added.
Large quantities of radioactive material – up to around 40kg, or 88 pounds – were reported to have fallen into the hands of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant when it seized Mosul in June 2014. The material was thought to be in the possession of universities and medical facilities in the city, Iraq’s second largest.
However it was not clear whether the quality of the material seized or the skills of Isil scientists were sufficient to use it even for a “dirty bomb”.
Iridium-192 could be dissolved in certain solvents and dispersed by conventional explosive. However, it has a short half life – around ten weeks – and the material was stolen in November, so the time in which it could usefully be deployed is disappearing fast.
The fear is that Isil might be preparing to use nuclear or chemical dirty bombs as it faces decline and possible defeat from the wide array of forces arrayed against it in Iraq and Syria. It has already used primitive chemical weapons such as mustard gas on the battlefield.
The Pentagon on Wednesday revelled in recent reports that the group was suffering a cash crisis, cutting salaries and offering to exchange prisoners for money.
US air raids have been targeting Isil cash reserves in recent weeks, with the Pentagon spokesman in Iraq, Col. Steve Warren, saying on Wednesday that a further ten “cash collection points” had been struck.
He said hundreds of millions of dollars in cash had been destroyed.
“We believe it was a significant series of strikes that have put a real dent in their wallet,” he added.
