- The crisis in Iraq escalated as the militants advanced and attacked the city of Ramadi amidst attempts to revive efforts to replace the caretaker govt in Iraq.
- Iraq also accused the Kurdish govt of exploiting the crisis and seizing control of key oil fields and housing the ISIS militants.
- Kurdistan has long-since eyed the oil-rich fields of Iraq and the President’s announcement of a referendum on independence has enraged Iraq.
- Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to the UN General Secretary, Iraq has expressed concern over ISIS seizing nearly 40kg of Uranium from the Mosul University, and the possibility of them using it for creating weapons of mass destruction.
- However experts believe that since it is not enriched Uranium and of low grade making it difficult to use it to build a weapon. But they also believe that any loss of regulatory control over nuclear material and other radioactive material is a cause for worry.
- Earlier the militants had occupied a disused chemical weapons factory, raising fears of access to the remnants of 2,500 degraded chemical rockets filled decades ago with the deadly nerve agent sarin.
- US played down the threat saying that the chemical weapons were not intact and it would be almost impossible to use them for military purposes.
- However, Al Muthana Chemical Weapons Plant was sealed by the U.N. Special Commission in 1994 as it was too difficult to clear at that time, and decontamination and clean-up were put off due to the severity of the risks involved.
- Read at:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/isis-seizes-uranium-from-mosul-university/article6202525.ece
- http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/iraq-fights-militant-assault-on-ramadi/article6202523.ece