WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that radioactive material has gone missing from a storage facility near the southern Iraqi city of Basra but has seen no sign that Islamic State or other militant groups have acquired it.

“We are aware of the reports that there may be ... lost or missing radioactive source in Iraq. We have not seen any indication the material in question has been acquired by Daesh or any other terrorist groups in the region,” spokesman Mark Toner told reporters, using an Arabic term for the Islamic State militant group. “Obviously we continue to take these reports very seriously and we continue to monitor the situation.”

Toner declined to comment on whether the missing material might be suitable for use in a “dirty” bomb.