Region | Iraq

Massive amount of uranium found in Tuwaitha, Baghdad

A massive amount of natural uranium has been removed by the Iraqi government, and sold to a Canadian company, government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 16:20 July 7, 2008
  • Gulf News

Baghdad: A massive amount of natural uranium has been removed by the Iraqi government, and sold to a Canadian company, government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said.

The 550 tonnes of uranium, named "yellowcake" was stored in a compound at Tuwaitha, south of Baghdad. This used to be a nuclear complex during Saddam Hussain's era.

"The Iraqi government decided to get rid of the uranium, which amounted to 550 tonnes, because of its potentially harmful affects on Iraq and the region and because it causes pollution," Dabbagh said on Sunday.

Dabbagh said the uranium had not undergone any enrichment. The Canadian company that purchased the stockpile wasn't named.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (9 votes) 3 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

More from Iraq

  1. Iraqi election head warns of vote delay

  2. Kirkuk at heart of poll law deadlock

  3. UN envoy looking into blasts in Baghdad

  4. Iraq's security conundrum

All articles in Iraq

More from Region

Gulf News
Popular in News
News Editor's choice