Iraqi Nuclear Site Is Found Looted

A specially trained US Defense Department team inspected a major Iraqi radioactive waste repository and discovered that the site had been severely looted. Computers, furniture and equipment appear to have been looted by Iraqi civilians since the beginning of US led military action. However, US authorities remain uncertain as to who might have taken the nuclear materials and why. On site testing has confirmed the presence of radioactive areas. The looting of nuclear plants and facilities in Iraq has serious implications for the public health of looters, and those who might come into contact with such potentially harmful material. Tensions between the Bush Administration and the Vienna based International Atomic Energy Agency have focused on the extent to which the US forces can access nuclear storage areas. Such tensions complicate the discovery and containment of nuclear material – especially given the extensive lootings and the possibility of dispersal of such material beyond Iraq’s national borders. – YaleGlobal.