bejohnson
02-09-2004, 01:27 PM
Report: Al-Qaida has obtained tactical nuclear explosives (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/392006.html)
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Al-Qaida has possessed tactical nuclear weapons for about six years, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported Sunday.
The Arabic daily reported that sources close to Al-Qaida said Osama bin Laden's group bought the nuclear weapons from Ukrainian scientists who were visiting Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 1998.
The report has not been confirmed.
However, the sources said Al-Qaida doesn't intend to use the weapons against American forces in Muslim countries, "due to the serious damage" it could cause. But that decision is subject to change, the sources said, if Al-Qaida "is dealt a serious blow that won't leave it any room to maneuver."
The possibility of detonating the nuclear devices on American soil was also raised in the report, although no details were given.
The sources were quoted as saying that Al-Qaida actvists have hidden the weapons - each of which is about the size of a suitcase - in "a safe place."
Kandahar was the stronghold of the Taliban, which kept Afghanistan under tight religious restrictions until the United States attacked it in retaliation for the September 2001 attacks.
In the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, serious concern arose in the West over the possibility that nuclear technology and weapons could spread to other groups, in part due to the difficult economic situation in the former communist lands. Several reports of the nuclear arsenal in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s indicated that a few dozen nuclear explosive devices had disappeared. One of the theories was that the devices disappeared in Ukraine, which claims that it handed over all its nuclear weapons to Russia.
From Neal Boortz
A London-based Arabic-language newspaper reported Sunday that Al Qaeda has had tactical nuclear weapons for about six years. The weapons were reportedly bought from Ukrainian scientists who visited Afghanistan in 1998. The report raised the possibility that Al Qaeda could attempt to detonate the weapons on American soil, and that the weapons could be used against American troops in the Middle East if Al Qaeda "is dealt a serious blow that won't leave it any room to maneuver."
OK .. can you stop for a moment to think about what would happen if (a) Al Qaeda really did have such weapons, and (b) decided to use them either against our troops overseas or against an American city? Thousands would die .. at a minimum.
Now .. here are the questions facing us.
First of all, are the reports true? They either are, or they are not. We all know how intelligence reports go these days. But can we afford to assume that the reports are bogus? If we treat them as true, and step up our efforts to destroy all that is left of Al Qaeda, what will be the downside? Certainly we would lose more American troops. What if we treat them as not true? The downside there is worse. That would leave Al Qaeda free to position and detonate one of these devices in order to fulfill their desire for another spectacular strike against Americans. Of course, there is always the possibility that the reports are not true and the nuclear threat does not exist.
Question: On which side do we err?
Now ... let's all remember here that John Kerry wants to treat terrorism as a law enforcement problem, not as a problem worthy of a military response. Germany sides with Kerry. Germany has been saying that terrorists should be tried in courts of law rather than military tribunals. Last week. The former roommate of Mohamed Atta was acquitted of charges he was involved in the terrorist attacks. So much for working through criminal courts.
Do we ignore this, treat it as a criminal court matter or take proactive military steps to discover the truth? If the weapons are found to exist do we look under every rock until we find them or do we wait and see what happens? I for one hope that there is a concerted effort to verify this report and if it is verified, that actions are taken to remove the weapons from terrorist hands.
THIS IS NOT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAYING THAT THERE ARE WMD. This is an Arabic newspaper report of the possibility of al Qaeda possessing the tactical nukes. Other than causing fear what would they gain from lying?
A tactical weapon is in the order of 0.1 to 2 kilotons of equivalent TNT and could destroy an area from the size of a few blocks to a one-mile radius.
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Al-Qaida has possessed tactical nuclear weapons for about six years, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported Sunday.
The Arabic daily reported that sources close to Al-Qaida said Osama bin Laden's group bought the nuclear weapons from Ukrainian scientists who were visiting Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 1998.
The report has not been confirmed.
However, the sources said Al-Qaida doesn't intend to use the weapons against American forces in Muslim countries, "due to the serious damage" it could cause. But that decision is subject to change, the sources said, if Al-Qaida "is dealt a serious blow that won't leave it any room to maneuver."
The possibility of detonating the nuclear devices on American soil was also raised in the report, although no details were given.
The sources were quoted as saying that Al-Qaida actvists have hidden the weapons - each of which is about the size of a suitcase - in "a safe place."
Kandahar was the stronghold of the Taliban, which kept Afghanistan under tight religious restrictions until the United States attacked it in retaliation for the September 2001 attacks.
In the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, serious concern arose in the West over the possibility that nuclear technology and weapons could spread to other groups, in part due to the difficult economic situation in the former communist lands. Several reports of the nuclear arsenal in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s indicated that a few dozen nuclear explosive devices had disappeared. One of the theories was that the devices disappeared in Ukraine, which claims that it handed over all its nuclear weapons to Russia.
From Neal Boortz
A London-based Arabic-language newspaper reported Sunday that Al Qaeda has had tactical nuclear weapons for about six years. The weapons were reportedly bought from Ukrainian scientists who visited Afghanistan in 1998. The report raised the possibility that Al Qaeda could attempt to detonate the weapons on American soil, and that the weapons could be used against American troops in the Middle East if Al Qaeda "is dealt a serious blow that won't leave it any room to maneuver."
OK .. can you stop for a moment to think about what would happen if (a) Al Qaeda really did have such weapons, and (b) decided to use them either against our troops overseas or against an American city? Thousands would die .. at a minimum.
Now .. here are the questions facing us.
First of all, are the reports true? They either are, or they are not. We all know how intelligence reports go these days. But can we afford to assume that the reports are bogus? If we treat them as true, and step up our efforts to destroy all that is left of Al Qaeda, what will be the downside? Certainly we would lose more American troops. What if we treat them as not true? The downside there is worse. That would leave Al Qaeda free to position and detonate one of these devices in order to fulfill their desire for another spectacular strike against Americans. Of course, there is always the possibility that the reports are not true and the nuclear threat does not exist.
Question: On which side do we err?
Now ... let's all remember here that John Kerry wants to treat terrorism as a law enforcement problem, not as a problem worthy of a military response. Germany sides with Kerry. Germany has been saying that terrorists should be tried in courts of law rather than military tribunals. Last week. The former roommate of Mohamed Atta was acquitted of charges he was involved in the terrorist attacks. So much for working through criminal courts.
Do we ignore this, treat it as a criminal court matter or take proactive military steps to discover the truth? If the weapons are found to exist do we look under every rock until we find them or do we wait and see what happens? I for one hope that there is a concerted effort to verify this report and if it is verified, that actions are taken to remove the weapons from terrorist hands.
THIS IS NOT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAYING THAT THERE ARE WMD. This is an Arabic newspaper report of the possibility of al Qaeda possessing the tactical nukes. Other than causing fear what would they gain from lying?
A tactical weapon is in the order of 0.1 to 2 kilotons of equivalent TNT and could destroy an area from the size of a few blocks to a one-mile radius.