A document obtained by the Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies dated on the ninth of November last year revealed that the Iraqi Commission for control of radioactive sources had informed the prime minister’s office and the National Security Council and the National Iraqi Intelligence on a stealing of a radioactive source from the headquarters of one of their companies operating in the oil field.
And for the importance of this matter at the international level, the US State Department said it was aware of the disappearance of radioactive material from a facility stores in the city of Basra, in southern Iraq.
It also said that it had received information on the disappearance of radioactive material from a storage facility near the city of Basra, in southern Iraq. Among what was stated in the document of a stolen radioactive source specifications and its shape , which is as follows:
Because of the lack of clarity of the form of the radioactive source in the document, the Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies viewed to spread the identical copy of it which is as follows:
This type of radioactive source is produced by American companies for
the purpose of selling it to US companies operating in the oil sector, and this irradiation source is Sentinel – model 880 Delta- Elite source projectors . And they are used for industrial applications of gamma radiography , mainly with Iridium -192, to inspect materials and structures in the density range of approximately 2.17 g-cm3 through 8.53g- cm3. Low energy isotopes can be accommodated to permit radiography of materials and structures of thin sections of steel and low- density alloys.
The 880 series exposure devices are also designed for use with loe activity sources with high photon energies for mass absorption (gamma scanning) studies of high density materials up to 18.7 g-cm3 .
Exposure Device
Sentinel Model 880 source projectors are portable , lightweight and compact industrial radiographic exposure devices. The exposure device body consists of a titanium “s” tube and cast depleted Uranium (DU) shield contained within a 300 series stainless steel tube with stainless steel discs welded at each end forming a cylinder shaped housing . The discs are recessed to provide protection for the rear mounted locking mechanism and front mounted outlet port .
The horizontally oriented design allows the locking mechanism , source assembly connector and outlet port to be easily operated, simplifying the connection of source guide tubes and projection sheaths
The void space of the housing s filled with rigid foam to prevent the ingress of water or foreign material, but is open to atmospheric pressure .
The exposure device body, containing the DUshield, locking mechanism ,outlet port, protective covers and required labels, comprises the radioactive material transport Type B package.
The Sentinel 880 series is available in 2 models :
- Delta 150 ci- the lightest 150 ci device currently available
- Elite 50 ci – idea for use ithlow –energy isotopes and lower activity Ir- 192 sources .
Due to the seriousness of this radioactive source , a number of security officials in the United States, Britain and other countries have expressed their concern that the use of radioactive source for the manufacture of a “dirty bomb.” It combines conventional explosives and radioactive material to contaminate a certain area with radiation, which is different from a nuclear bomb, which was depended on nuclear fission to create an explosion even deadlier.
On the other hand, this theft operation reveals the case of the aggravation experienced by Iraq in the post-2003 noting that the Iraqi society and since then is suffering from many of the political, economic, military and security problems, and this theft comes to add to their problems a new problem and this time is related to its presence. There is no doubt that this theft reveals that Iraq post-2003, according to the literature of political science , is described as the “” failed state, noting that it is very difficult for this theft and these security violations to be taken place in the country is witnessing of the institutional and political stability and a cohesion of the community. As for the stealer of the radioactive source , may be a neighboring country or a terrorist organization as the ISIS – Daash.”
The following is an illustrative video of the radioactive device :
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies