Tag Archives: Nuclear Weapon

N. Korea Elevates Tensions, Fires Missiles, Liquidates South Assets

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North Korea looked to ratchet up already elevated tensions on the Korean peninsula still further Thursday, firing a pair of short-range missiles and announcing the liquidation of all remaining South Korean assets on its territory. The moves were a direct response to unilateral sanctions announced by South Korea on Tuesday to punish the North for its January nuclear test and last month’s long-range rocket launch. Military tensions have been on the rise ever since the January test — the fourth nuclear device North Korea has detonated in defiance of UN resolutions.

The UN Security Council responded with tough, new sanctions, which Pyongyang condemned as a “gangster-like” provocation orchestrated by the United States. The North also reacted furiously to the start earlier this week of large-scale South Korea-US military drills, threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes against both Seoul and the US mainland. The asset seizure announced on Thursday referred to two now-shuttered joint projects, the Mount Kumgang tourism resort and the Kaesong joint industrial complex. “We will completely liquidate all assets of South Korean firms and related institutions left behind in our region,” the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in statement carried by the North’s official KCNA news agency. – ‘Nullify all agreements’ – “From this time on, we nullify all agreements adopted by North and South Korea on economic cooperation and exchange programmes,” the committee said.

It also warned of other unspecified “special measures” — political, military and economic — it would take against the South in the future. South Korea announced the suspension of operations at the Seoul-funded Kaesong industrial complex last month, saying that money Pyongyang made from the venture was going towards its nuclear weapons programme. The shock announcement prompted the North to expel all South Koreans from the estate and freeze all assets there, shutting down the last symbol of cross-border economic cooperation. An association representing the 120 firms operating factories in Kaesong, which lies just across the North Korean border, estimated the value of the assets left behind at 820 billion won ($663 million). The head of the association, Jeong Gi-Seob, described the liquidation order as “outrageous”.

Russia says Ready to Reciprocate Nuclear Strike

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A Russian military chief says the country’s Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) are ready to defend the country against any possible “lightning-speed” nuclear strike.

“If we have to accomplish a task of repelling a ‘lightning-speed’ nuclear strike, this objective will be attained within a prescribed period,” Andrei Burbin, the SMF Central Command’s chief, was quoted by Russian media as saying on Saturday.

He voiced the SMF preparedness to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike “unhesitatingly” if Russia comes under any assault.

Referring to the geographic position of Russia’s missile units, the major general said it will protect them from demolition by “any global strike,” adding that 98 percent of the SMF systems would be new in 2020.

Read More: presstv

ISIS Threatens Use of Nuclear Bomb in London

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The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants have reportedly developed a nuclear weapon from the radioactive material they seized from the Mosul University in Iraq. ISIS bragged about the nuclear device on social media as a British extremist fighter claimed it would wreak havoc in London when it explodes.

According to media reports, ISIS militants have stolen 40 kilogrammes of uranium in July and used it to make a “dirty bomb.” The Mirror noted that British bomb expert Hamayun Tariq was identified as among the militants who issued threats to the West online. In 2012, he left his home in Dudley and went to the Middle East.

On his Twitter account under the Muslim name, Muslim al-Britani, he announced that ISIS has a dirty bomb and revealed they militants found radioactive material at the Iraqi university in Mosul. He went on to say ISIS will study what dirty bombs can do and talk about what happens when it is detonated in a public area.

In what may be viewed as a veiled threat, the British ISIS supporter added that it would be “terribly destructive” if it exploded in London.  His account onTwitter has since been suspended after posting his comments. As a show of support, other ISIS fighters also posted on Twitter to confirm that militants have in their possession a bomb from radioactive material in Mosul.

Reports of ISIS having a nuclear device have alarmed the UN Ambassador to Iraq Mohamed Ali Alhakin. He wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and revealed that ISIS has been taking nuclear material from areas where the group has taken over. The ambassador informed the UN that such material can be used to manufacture “weapons of mass destruction.” Alhakin warned that nuclear materials, even in limited quantities, can enable terrorist groups like ISIS to use it in the militants’ terror campaign with the help a weapons expert.

The Mirror speculates that if ISIS has a nuclear bomb, the group would more likely use it in Iraq or Syria rather than risk being caught when smuggling it into a Western country.  Previous reports indicate that if ISIS was confirmed to have weapons of mass destruction or a nuclear bomb, U.S. President Barack Obama would not hesitate to send ground troops to destroy ISIS.

Credit: ibtimes.com