Global Security Newswire

Islamic extremists took scores of hostages and killed 14 people in an attack on Pakistan's army headquarters Saturday, heightening international concerns that the nation's nuclear-weapon facilities might be vulnerable to militant incursion, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 11).

Although experts were divided over how large a threat extremists pose to Pakistan's nuclear weapons, security at the nation's nuclear-weapon sites is considered notably higher than at the army facility, where militants failed to infiltrate the highest-security areas before Pakistani commandos retook the site.

The nation's nuclear facilities are well guarded and use sophisticated security measures, one U.S. counterproliferation source said, noting that an attack on one of Pakistan's nuclear facilities does not mean extremists could pilfer the nuclear weapons components inside.

"It's not thought likely that the Taliban are suddenly going to storm in and gain control of the nuclear facilities. There are enough command-and-control mechanisms in place to prevent that," said Gareth Price, Asia program chief at the Chatham House think tank in London.

Pakistan's nuclear program is more vulnerable to insiders than to a direct attack, said another Western official familiar with intelligence on the nation's nuclear assets.

Pakistani warheads include electronic locks that would prevent them from being detonated if they were stolen, added security analyst Shaun Gregory, who has determined that the nation's nuclear sites had come under attack in the past (see GSN, Aug. 11).

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said there is no proof "that has been shown publicly or privately of any threat to the Pakistani nuclear facilities."

Gregory disagreed with Miliband's assessment, contending that "there is plenty of evidence of threat" (Brummitt/Hess, Associated Press I/Google News, Oct. 12).

After meeting with Miliband on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed the British official's assertion that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure, the Washington Post reported.

"We have confidence in the Pakistani government and military's control over nuclear weapons," Clinton said.

Still, the officials agreed that extremists pose an increasing danger to the Pakistani government (Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post,Oct. 11).

Although Pakistan faces a "mortal threat" from militants, the nation's nuclear weapons are safe, Miliband added, according to the Associated Press.

"It's very important that alarmist talk is not allowed to gather pace," he said (Matthew Lee, Associated Press II/Google News, Oct. 12).