US warns countries against supporting terrorist groups obtaining nuclear weapons
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WASHINGTON: The United States has warned countries against supporting non-state actors and terrorist groups trying to obtain or employ nuclear weapons.
“The US will hold accountable any state or non-state actor that supports terrorist efforts to obtain or employ a nuclear weapon,” under secretary of state for political affairs, Tom Shannon, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference where the Trump administration rolled out its 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR).
Neither Shannon nor the NPR report, running into 100 pages, identified any country which could be seen aiding terrorist groups in this regard.
Shannon said that nuclear terrorism remained a major threat in the 21st century and countries need to work to mitigate it.
“The potential threat of non-state actors getting their hands on a nuclear weapon remains at the front of all of our minds,” Shannon told reporters.
Deputy energy secretary Dan Brouillette said the US will keep a close watch on nuclear proliferation activities.
In a special section on nuclear terrorism, the report said the US strategy to combat nuclear terrorism encompasses a wide range of activities that comprise a defence-in-depth against current and emerging dangers. - INP
