WASHINGTON DC – US President Barack Obama warned Saturday that one of the greatest threats to global security was terrorists obtaining a weapon of mass destruction, such as a nuclear bomb.
Speaking in his weekly address Obama said that, at a nuclear summit in Washington that closed Friday, one of the issues discussed was the tightening of security at nuclear installations.
“I welcomed more than 50 leaders from around the world to make sure we’re working together to meet one of the greatest threats to global security -- terrorists getting their hands on a weapon of mass destruction, like a nuclear weapon,” the president said.
“No terrorist group has yet succeeded in obtaining a nuclear device or producing a dirty bomb using radioactive materials. But we know that al Qaeda has tried. ISIL has already used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq,” he said, referring to the Islamic State (ISIS).
“If they ever got hold of a nuclear weapon or nuclear material, we have no doubt they’d use it,” he warned.
Obama also warned that, as ISIS is squeezed in Iraq and Syria, it is striking elsewhere.
“As ISIL is squeezed in Syria and Iraq, it’s lashing out elsewhere, as we’ve seen most recently -- and tragically -- from Turkey to Brussels,” the president said.
“During our summit, we focused on ways to step up our efforts to disrupt terrorist attacks. It requires even more cooperation to prevent the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and sharing even more information and intelligence.”
Speaking in his weekly address Obama said that, at a nuclear summit in Washington that closed Friday, one of the issues discussed was the tightening of security at nuclear installations.
“I welcomed more than 50 leaders from around the world to make sure we’re working together to meet one of the greatest threats to global security -- terrorists getting their hands on a weapon of mass destruction, like a nuclear weapon,” the president said.
“No terrorist group has yet succeeded in obtaining a nuclear device or producing a dirty bomb using radioactive materials. But we know that al Qaeda has tried. ISIL has already used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq,” he said, referring to the Islamic State (ISIS).
“If they ever got hold of a nuclear weapon or nuclear material, we have no doubt they’d use it,” he warned.
Obama also warned that, as ISIS is squeezed in Iraq and Syria, it is striking elsewhere.
“As ISIL is squeezed in Syria and Iraq, it’s lashing out elsewhere, as we’ve seen most recently -- and tragically -- from Turkey to Brussels,” the president said.
“During our summit, we focused on ways to step up our efforts to disrupt terrorist attacks. It requires even more cooperation to prevent the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and sharing even more information and intelligence.”
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