The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has pulled from its website photographs of Iraqi uranium-enriching equipment, out of fear that the images might prove to instructional to countries seeking to develop a nuclear weapons program.
"We believed that they were appropriate for posting on our website but some other parts of the government had some concerns, so we decided to take them down," said Mark Mansfield, a spokesman with the CIA.
Last week, the agency posted six photos of components from a gas centrifuge, along with a statement. However, later on, the agency removed the photos, according to officials, cited by AFP.
The equipment was obtained from former senior Iraqi nuclear scientist Mahdi Obeidi, who said he had buried the parts in his Baghdad garden in 1991 on orders from Saddam’s regime until Iraq was ready to resume its nuclear program. Obeidi has been given refuge in the US and is cooperating with the authorities. (Albawaba.com)
