Nuclear security

Terrorists Could Capture US Nuclear Weapons at Turkey's Incirlik Base

The United States run the risk of losing control over dozens of nuclear weapons deployed at Turkey's Incirlik Air Base to terrorists, the Stimson Center think tank said Monday.

"The continued presence of these weapons at five sites in Europe, particularly in Turkey, raises serious risks of their seizure by terrorists or other hostile forces," the center said in a new report titled "B61 Life Extension Program: Costs and Policy Considerations."

In a statement accompanying the report's publication, the think tank stressed that a protracted civil conflict in Turkey would make the fate of the weapons uncertain, citing the events during Turkey's July 15 attempted coup.