Iraq says “terrorist groups” have seized nuclear materials used for scientific research at a university in the country's north. Iraq's UN envoy has appealed for help to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad."

According to Iraq's UN ambassador, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, about 40 kilograms of uranium compounds were kept at Mosul University. He added that such materials "can be used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction." 

"Terrorist groups have seized control of nuclear material at the sites that came out of the control of the state," Alhakim told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the July 8 letter obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

Alhakim warned that the materials could be smuggled out of Iraq.

"The Republic of Iraq is notifying the international community of these dangerous developments and asking for help and the needed support to stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad," Alhakim said in a letter.

The UN's nuclear watchdog on Thursday downplayed the significance of the incident.

"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," said IAEA spokesperson Gill Tudor.

"Nevertheless, any loss of regulatory control over nuclear and other radioactive materials is a cause for concern."

Uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons, but requires enrichment as well as numerous pieces of technology to produce other components of a nuclear device. But uranium compounds are also toxic and could potentially be used to produce a ‘dirty bomb’, that is a regular explosive device that would disperse the radioactive material to contaminate the area around it.

RT

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