http://www.dawn.com/2007/05/08/top9.htm Radiation scanning at Port Qasim
WASHINGTON, May 7: The installing of a new radiation scanning system at Port Qasim follows US concerns that Pakistani ports can be used for smuggling out a nuclear weapon, says a senior US official. "As fellow members of the world community, preventing a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb attack has to be one of the highest priorities for both our nations," said Jayson P. Ahern, a senior official at the US department for Customs and Border Protection. Mr Ahern, who is assistant commissioner for field operations at his department, said "the initiative advances a comprehensive strategy to secure the global supply chain and substantially limits the potential for terrorist threats." The system allows testing of full-scale radiation scanning and X-ray imaging at Port Qasim, with near real-time data transmission to the host government and resources in the United States. Mr Ahern's statement, posted on the official Website of the US Customs and Border Protection, echo similar sentiments by other US experts who also see the possibility of terrorists acquiring a nuclear weapon in Pakistan as a major threat. In his book - At the Centre of the Storm - which was published last week, former CIA director George Tenet warned that Al Qaeda is desperate to acquire a nuclear bomb and has in the past worked with some officials of the Pakistani nuclear establishment to achieve this goal. "US intelligence agencies 'established that Al Qaeda had clear intent to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons to cause mass casualties in the United States," he wrote. Such fears played a key role in the US decision to install the radiation detection facility at Port Qasim, which began transmitting last Monday to a monitoring system at the Department of Homeland Security in the US. The goal of the Secure Freight Initiative is to provide nuclear and radiological detection for shipping containers destined to the US. The Department of Homeland Security, and the Departments of Energy and State plan to establish six Secure Freight Initiative prototype ports in key locations around the world."This facility is a preventive tool in the global war on terror that will make our borders safer and will increase the economic efficiency of Pakistani exports," said US Charge d' Affaires Peter W. Bodde. "It will also increase the security of the international supply chain for shippers utilizing Port Qasim, one of only three locations in the world selected for this testing phase, reflecting the close cooperation between our two countries." Port Qasim is part of the first group of ports installing integrated cargo scanning capabilities in Phase I of the Secure Freight Initiative. Under the initiative, the capability to scan 100 per cent of all cargo bound for the United States with radiation detection and non-intrusive imaging equipment will be evaluated at three initial ports. Secure Freight Initiative Executive Director Allen Gina reviewed current capabilities in Pakistan. "We have reviewed operations at Port Qasim, one of our first ports testing the new integrated scanning system, and are very encouraged by the results. Data signals from both the first and second radiation portal monitors and the X-ray imaging system were received at the National Targeting Centre in the United States. Alarms were tested and the first container was processed, which did not activate alarms. No notification issues were raised. We now begin ramping up capabilities to scan all US-bound containers.""Port Qasim was selected as an initial Secure Freight Initiative port due to the strong political will of the host nation, the unique nature of its operation in a strategic location, and its processing of a significant amount of transhipments." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
