Fears Of Dirty Bombs Resurfacing

Posted Jan 5, 2008 by mlh in Politics | 173 views

I know: It could never happen to us and the fears of a dirty bombs is considered by a scant few as fear mongering and politically motivated scare tactics. Having been around Jihadis, I have seen and heard their desires - fear is the least of our problems.

The worst of our worse problems is inaction.

On New Years' Day in India, Times of India published an article written by, Rajat Pandit, and has a reputation of not being interested in the act of alleged fear mongering.

A turmoil-hit Pakistan may stress that fears about its nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamic extremists are "totally unfounded and nonsense".

Naturally, one would notice that the government of Pakistan would publish such a statement but in these times, the actions of the terrorist groups are in direct conflict of such a statement.

But the scare is not so much about the safety of the actual nuclear weapons or warheads, as about radicals getting access to enriched uranium, nuclear components and know-how. "Attempts by Al-Qaida to acquire dirty bombs are quite well-established," said a senior official, who in the past has been linked with India's nuclear weapon programme.

Whether or not Benazir Bhutto who was recently assassinated in Pakistan is associated with this in any way is unclear. Certainly, her tainted leadership of Pakistan in the past is well documented. Both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers in the region and in such restless and volatile environments, the fears of a terrorist grouping obtaining perhaps not a nuke per se but nuclear material rises to higher levels.

Pakistan's past track-record as a proliferator of nuclear technology to countries like North Korea, Iran and Libya, with the father of its nuclear programme A Q Khan sitting right at the centre of the nuclear export web, is by now well-known. Benazir Bhutto, in fact, herself played a personal role in her country's nuclear-for-missile technology barter with North Korea during her stint as prime minister.

The most chilling account in the article describes what would seem to be an inevitability, after observing the actions of terrorist groups escalating attacks across the world over the last 30 years.

A chilling example of what this could lead to was witnessed in August 2001 when two senior scientists of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, Sultan Bashirrudin Mahmood and Chaudhiri Andul Majid, were spotted with Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan.

Fear mongering? I think not. Since AQ has pretty much given up the fight in Iraq except for leaving behind the "cover the withdrawal forces" and moved on to Pakistan, it is time to act in Pakistan.

Indian and Pakistani government officials have stated that their nuclear arsenals are secure and the terrorists cannot obtain them.

And I have ocean front property to sell in North Dakota.

"Pakistan has dispersed its weapons and distributed oversight to multiple strategic and security authorities. But these arrangements by necessity increase the likelihood that corrupt officials could successfully divert weapons or materials," said Allison.

The warm fuzzies are not forthcoming.

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