Washington: The US plans to launch pre-emptive strikes even against atomic weapon powers and is concerned over the Pakistani support to North Korean nuclear programme, according to a leading American daily on February 12.

Suggesting that some of the newly developing nuclear weapon powers may come under the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive strikes, 'The Washington Post' said the US would invade and change regime not only in Iraq but also other unnamed countries.

The report said that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director George J Tenet warned Congress that small countries believe that only nuclear weapons can deter more powerful countries and, over the past 12 months, North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Libya have all moved to obtain equipment to produce weapons-grade nuclear materials and the ability to deliver them as nuclear bombs.

There also has been ongoing concern about Pakistan's and India's maturing nuclear programmes, as well as growing alarm that nuclear materials could fall, or have already spread, into the hands of terrorist groups such as al-Qaida for production of radioactive "dirty" bombs, he said.

PTI