The State Department acknowledged that such items had been looted from Iraqi facilities in the immediate aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq but maintained that "most, if not all," had been accounted for and that Iraqi authorities had acted to prevent further thefts.

"This is a problem that did occur after the war," spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We think though, that, through a variety of efforts that we and the Iraqis have been making, it has been brought under control."

"Indeed, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been able to inspect facilities in Iraq to ensure that the materials that are still there are properly categorized and accounted for," he told reporters

In an October 1 letter to the UN Security Council, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said he was concerned that material and equipment, in some cases entire buildings housing sophisticated technology, are disappearing from Iraq.

So-called dual-use equipment -- with peaceful as well as weapons-making applications -- is disappearing, ElBaradei said, raising fears terrorists could get their hands on it.

"The disappearance of such equipment and materials may be of proliferation significance," ElBaradei said.

He also said the IAEA, whose inspectors left Iraq before the US-led war to topple Saddam Hussein began in March 2003 and have not been allowed to return, now must rely for its reporting on "open sources and commercial satellite imagery" which show the extent of the missing material.

However, Boucher said IAEA teams had been to Iraq, including the nuclear facility at Tuwaitha, at least twice -- in June 2003 and in August 2004 -- since Saddam was ousted and that such inspections would continue.

ElBaradei reports every six months to the Security Council since the IAEA still has a UN mandate to investigate Iraq's nuclear program.

But IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said that neither US authorities in Iraq nor Iraq government officials have reported to the agency about nuclear facilities in the country and that the agency was not getting the information it needed.

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