Last week the US Air Force sent five nuclear-armed cruise missiles into US air space without realising. Fortunately, 31/2 hours later, the missiles were back on terra firma. The bombs, with yields of five to 150 kilotonnes, or 15 times the strength of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
The incident, first reported by the Military Times, has raised alarms about the security of nuclear devices and safety precautions. At the same time the new Osama Bin Laden tape has been released just in time for the anniversary of the attacks of September 11. A videotape has emerged purportedly of a speech by Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, in which he refers to the Bush administration’s progress in Iraq and the performance of the Democratic party in opposing it.
