Reuters has reported that the highly dangerous radioactive material that went missing last November has been found in southern Iraq.
Environment ministry spokesperson Ameer Ali said that the material was found dumped near a gas station in Zubair on Sunday.
Jabbar al-Saidi, the chief of security in Basra province, told Reuters, “A passer-by found the radioactive device dumped in Zubair and immediately informed security forces which went with a special prevention radiation team and retrieved the device."
Ali said that there were no signs of damage and no reason for concerns about the radiation from the material.
"After initial checking I can confirm the device is intact 100 percent and there is absolutely no concern of radiation,” he told Reuters.
Last week Al Bawaba reported on the material which was missing since November and was not reported to the IAEA until last week, causing public concerns over the possibilities of Daesh being in possession of it to make a 'dirty bomb'.
The material, classed by the IAEA as a Category 2 radioactive material, meaning it can cause irreparable injury to anyone close to it, was stolen from a storage facility owned by U.S. oil services company Weatherford.
However, a document revealed that the material itself is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey who uses the materials gamma rays to detect flaws in material used in the petroleum industry.
Official told Reuters that it's not clear how the material made it around nine miles from Basra to Zubair.
