GEMINI
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Using urea fertilizers as an ingredient in IEDs depends on the nitrate component as well. There is a coating that is applied as a final step to the granules that prevents such uses.[/QUOTE
Urea is not an explosive in pure form until mixed with nitric acid/oxidizer to form urea nitrate. The coatings after granulation and additives before granulation/prilling are Urea formaldehyde generally. Which does not change the explosive nature but crushing strength rather. SABIC uses the same at all their facilities in JUBAIL. Even if it prevents its use an explosive(not a chance) still coating product with this is a minor issue and most of the Pakistani plants do that or can do that in a matter of a week.
As far as nitric acid is concerned, there are only two industrial manufacturing units both owned by one company. There may be any small unit , and one is there with POF (if i recall my memory correctly).
The issue of fertilizer being used in IED in Afghanistan was with ammonium nitrate fertilizer produced in Pakistan. This fertilizer comes in the form of Calcium ammonium nitrate. Furthermore AN is sold for producing surgical gases. An American official group visited one of the fertilizer projects making all these products and suggested some color additives. Which was denied by the company.
To me the current outage of gas for fertilizer plants is both financial and resource mismanagement. These units are still provided gas but not continuously. Furthermore units taking gas from Mari gas are still operative 100%. Our government is not able to finance purification and connection of new gas reservoirs. These fertilizer plants have formed a consortium to finance a separate gas line for them only. I think we should not relate this thing to American pressure.