Daesh ‘might use stolen radioactive material’

Iraq is searching for “highly dangerous” radioactive material stolen last year, according to an Environment Ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Daesh.
The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to US oilfield services company Weatherford, the document seen by Reuters showed and officials confirmed.
A spokesman for Environment Ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns.
Weatherford said in a statement that it was not responsible or liable for the theft. “We do not own, operate or control sources or the bunker where the sources are stored,” it said. The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials.
Source :AFP