London: There is an “infinitely” greater chance of the cash-rich Islamic State smuggling its first nuclear weapon from Pakistan to attack the US within a year, according to the latest edition of the dreaded group’s propaganda magazine.
In what seems to be an exaggerated article in the IS’ new edition of Dabiq, its English-language online magazine, attributed to British journalist John Cantlie, the outfit has suggested a unification of militant Islamist groups across the Middle East, Africa and Asia to create one global movement.
The terror group that has executed a number of Westerners in the past months said it can use the “billions of dollars” in its coffers to purchase its first nuclear acquisition within a year.
It has used photojournalist Cantlie – held hostage for over two years by the terror group also acronymed as ISIS or ISIL – regularly in its propaganda.
The article titled ‘The Perfect Storm’ reads: “The Islamic State has billions of dollars in the bank, so they call on their wilayah (chapter) in Pakistan to purchase a nuclear device through weapons dealers with links to corrupt officials in the region.”
It raises a “hypothetical” possibility under which ISIS operatives in Pakistan bribe an official to provide them with a nuclear device which is then smuggled into America via Libya, Nigeria and Mexico, The Telegraph reported.
The article presumed to be written under pressure but in his hallmark style combining hyperbole, metaphor and sarcasm, Cantlie says that US President Barack Obama’s policies for containing the group have demonstrably failed and increased the risk to America.
It comes at a time when the Islamic State group fighters have gained grounds in Syria and Iraq, storming the museum in the ancient city of Palmyra and capturing Ramadi, capital of Iraq’s largest province.
The loss of Ramadi has been termed as a “tactical setback” by Obama, who has insisted that the US-led coalition’s campaign againt the terror outfit is “not losing”.
Cantlie says it is no secret that the ISIS is planning to attack America on a large-scale, having transcended its roots as “the most explosive Islamic ‘group’ in the modern world” to evolve into “the most explosive Islamic movement the modern world has ever seen” in less than twelve months.
“Perhaps such a scenario is far-fetched but it’s the sum of all fears for Western intelligence agencies and it’s infinitely more possible today than it was just one year ago.
“And if not a nuke, what about a few thousand tonnes of ammonium nitrate explosive? That’s easy enough to make,” he writes. (PTI)
