Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal in Danger.

Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms

DAVID E. SANGER

Published: Monday, May 4, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.  Last Modified: Monday, May 4, 2009 at 5:16 a.m.

WASHINGTON — As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants to snatch a weapon in transport or to insert sympathizers into laboratories or fuel-production facilities.

The officials emphasized that there was no reason to believe that the arsenal, most of which is south of the capital, Islamabad, faced an imminent threat. President Obama said last week that he remained confident that keeping the country’s nuclear infrastructure secure was the top priority of Pakistan’s armed forces.

But the United States does not know where all of Pakistan’s nuclear sites are located, and its concerns have intensified in the last two weeks since the Taliban entered Buner, a district 60 miles from the capital. The spread of the insurgency has left American officials less willing to accept blanket assurances from Pakistan that the weapons are safe.

Pakistani officials have continued to deflect American requests for more details about the location and security of the country’s nuclear sites, the officials said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25428318-2703,00.html

The nuclear sites could easily be overrun by Taliban and nuclear bombs used against U.S. troops.

The U.S. does not know where all the sites are. Pakistan is not a signatory to any Nuclear Arms Treaty.

Some nuclear sites: http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/PakistanFacilities.shtml

It appears very possible that the Taliban already have overrun nuclear sites. (Ric).

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ibloga.blogspot.com

** How Much Of Pakistan Does The Taliban Control? Yesterday, in this post from Epaminondas, we learned that the Taliban has "warned Shangla district lawyers on Tuesday of serious consequences if they continued to appear in un-Islamic courts (civil and district courts)". The Taliban is tightening it's control, and that of strict Sharia law, in as much of Pakistan as it can. And, how much of Pakistan does the Taliban now control? The answer comes from the Long War Journal:

READ IT ALL! http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-much-of-pakistan-does-taliban.html

Read the latest Congressional Research Service report on Pakistan's nuclear weapons program here

Read the latest Institute for Science and International Security report on the Khushab reactors here

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