Reply #7: Radiological materials not secured for months after Iraq invasion: report [View All]

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (AFP) - The US Defense Department failed to secure sources of radiological material in Iraq for six months after the US invasion in 2003, during which period some were looted or scattered, a congressional watchdog said.

In a report, the Government Accountability Office said US forces ultimately collected some 1,400 radiological sources used in medicine, industry and research, and removed 1,000 of them.

"According to DoD (Department of Defense) and State officials, however, the total number of unsecured radiological sources in Iraq remains unknown," the report said.

"For instance, even after DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) completed collecting and securing sources, according to Department of State officials, a neighboring country twice detected trucks leaving the country with unsecured radiological sources," the report said.

The fate of the radiological materials is a matter of concern because of the threat to civilians of radiation exposure and their possible use by terrorist to make "dirty bombs," the report said.

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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050908/wl_mideast_afp/usiraqradiological