'The Perfect Storm': Captive Cantlie Writes Islamic State Can Buy Nukes

NEW DELHI: The Islamic State has claimed that it is positioned to buy its first nuclear weapon within the year. The claim was put forth in an article purportedly authored by captive John Cantlie and published in the latest issue of the group’s English-language magazine Dabiq.

Titled "The Perfect Storm" the article refers to a range of militant groups having pledged allegiance to the Islamic State across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, that has united factions into a consolidated global movement. This alignment has been complemented by the group seizing “tanks, rocket launchers, missile systems, anti-aircraft systems” and could potentially pave the way for the group to acquire nuclear weapons, or say says the article.

“Let me throw a hypothetical operation onto the table,” the article continues. “The Islamic State has billions of dollars in the bank, so they call on their wil?yah in Pakistan to purchase a nuclear device through weapons dealers with links to corrupt officials in the region." Although admitting it is a far fetched proposition, it does not rule it out saying, ““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 tons of ammonium nitrate explosive? That’s easy enough to make."

“Remember, all of this has happened in less than a year. How more dangerous will be the lines of communication and supply a year on from today?” the article questions. "They’ll [Isis] be looking to do something big, something that would make any past operation look like a squirrel shoot, and the more groups that pledge allegiance the more possible it becomes to pull off something truly epic.”

The full article is reproduced below: