Arab Newspaper Says Al Qaeda Has Ukrainian Nukes

[Barrett808]

organization led by Osama bin Laden bought tactical nuclear weapons from Ukraine in 1998 and is storing them in safe places for possible use.

There was no independent corroboration of the report, which appeared in the newspaper al-Hayat under an Islamabad dateline and cited sources close to al Qaeda, which the United States blames for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The newspaper said al Qaeda bought the weapons in suitcases in a deal arranged when Ukrainian scientists visited the Afghan city of Kandahar in 1998. The city was then a stronghold of the Taliban movement, which was allied with al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda would use the weapons only inside the United States or if the group faced a "crushing blow" which threatened its existence, such as the use of nuclear or chemical weapons against its fighters, the paper quoted its sources as saying.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=2&u=/nm/20040208/wl_nm/security_qaeda_nuclear_dc

[Democrats unite]

1. I don't believe one word of it! 1998?

They had the perfect opprotunity to use them on 9/11, they didn't why?

[Roon]

2. they haven't used them because..

Al Qaeda would use the weapons only inside the United States or if the group faced a "crushing blow" which threatened its existence, such as the use of nuclear or chemical weapons against its fighters, the paper quoted its sources as saying.

[Democrats unite]

3. What was 9/11?

Did that not happen in the United States?

on edit: this reeks of coming from the White house!

[alittlelark]

9. WH propaganda scare, great timing too!!

Clinton was pres. then.....perfect - ignore economy, Iraq, AWOL.....BE truly terrified of Al Queda.

Still one of my fav. ads -

http://www.bushin30seconds.org/view/2802_small.shtml

[Fovea]

5. plausibly, the trip wire.

Officially, we have not used nukes against Arabs, though Depleted Uraniu m comes very close to that in long term effects.

But once they pop a nuke, all restraints are removed and screw the rest of the world. It is where Bush wants to go, but has been told he cannot unilaterally.

So I'd say that if a nuke goes off in the US, there is about a 50% chance it came from al Qaida. The other good bet is Operation Northwoods writ horribly large.

[Barrett808]

6. Jeb Bush: "The people of SF are an endangered species"

Coming to you, October 2004.

[JanMichael]

4. Let's invade Ukraine! Kiev is beautiful in the summer.

We could steal their wheat.

[Robb]

7. Er...

I've often said here that if non-nation folks have nukes, they probably came from Ukraine, BUT... are we supposed to believe Al Q has a "no first strike" policy regarding nuclear weapons?

What exactly is the advantage of detente to a non-nation army?

[JailForBush]

8. Al Qaeda would never use nukes against us, because they know

we'd destroy their caves in Afghanistan in retaliation.

[PsychoDad]

12. We would have to find their "caves"...

Afghanistan and Pakistan are a big place for 200 people to hide in

[JCMach1]

10. OLD OLD Rumor

[jpak]

11. Horsesh*t

Nuclear weapons require sophisticated maintainence if they are to be stored for a period of years.

Neutron initiators decay

Tritium decays

High explosives deteriorate - especially if they receive any kind of exposure to radioactivity.

Electronics and fusing mechanisms need to be carefully monitored and regularly replaced as well.

They would also have to have access to the enabling codes and intimate knowledge of the arming mechanisms to make them operational.

You can't just call up tech support for these things on your cell phone.

and

You can't just stash them in a cave for 6 years and expect them to go boom when the time is right.

Another freeper bogeyman - ignore.

[loudnclear]

13. Al-qaeda may not have them but someone does....what price broken wall?

There are nukes spread all over the former USSR. That is the dirty little secret that the powers-that-be don't want you think about. This was the real problem and danger of "bringing down the wall" so soon without proper economic and social programs in place. Russia defeated itsself with its military-industrial-complex and could not feed its people and could not maintain a loyal national identity. We are headed in the same direction. The Oligarchies and facist administrators are leading the US right down the same path. History always repeats because men never learn. I really think they just don't give a damn!

[daleo]

14. A little about newspaper al-Hayat

I hope I got the right one. A google on the term gives:

"Al-Hayat is an independent Arabic-language daily newspaper published in London with worldwide morning-of-publication distribution. Fully computerized and incorporating the latest news-gathering, design, satellite transmission and print technology, it is printed simultaneously in London, Frankfurt, Cairo, Bahrain, Beirut, New York and, during the summer, Marseille. Its combined print run ranges between 160,000 and 170,000, depending on the availability of aircraft from printing centers to certain Arab capitals."
....
"Special attention has been given to the paper's business section. Fed by their own team of correspondents and exclusive access to the material of London's Financial Times, Al-Hayat's business-and-economy pages, including the Arab world's only full page of stock and share listings, have been called "a newspaper within a newspaper"."

It looks like another of those 'Arab' newspapers published in London. Imagine how seriously anyone would take a 'British' newspaper published in Cairo. Probably a vector for western propaganda. Take the story with a (very large) grain of salt. Someone wants to whip the fear. I wonder who?

[Just Me]

15. I smell a "cahootz" *LOL*,...I mean, puuuhhhhleeeeezzzzz,...

,...did everyone here already know that "Allied Media Corp" is located in VA???? It was a recent revelation to "Just Me" :D