UN watchdog says nuclear equipment vanished in Iraq
Equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons, in some cases entire buildings housing sophisticated technology, are disappearing from Iraq, the UN nuclear watchdog has reported to the UN. In a letter to the UN Security Council, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said he was concerned about the “widespread and apparently systematic dismantlement that has taken place at sites previously relevant to Iraq’s nuclear program” under deposed dictator Saddam Hussein. So-called dual-use equipment – with peaceful as well as weapons-making applications — is disappearing, ElBaradei said, raising fears terrorists could be getting their hands on it. Full Story