MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - International terrorist organizations are trying to gain access to uranium mines in Central Asia, the head of the anti-terrorism center for post-Soviet states said Wednesday.

Andrei Novikov, who heads the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Center (ATC), told journalists: "International terrorist organizations have a huge interest in getting hold of radioactive materials. In particular, the ATC has information that they intend to penetrate uranium mines of CIS states in the Central Asian region."

Novikov said the ATC primarily concerned over "the security of uranium-producing enterprises in Kyrgyzstan."

However, he said, the security services of the Central Asian country had stepped up measures to prevent terrorists from entering sensitive facilities, and that the ATC's office in the country is cooperating with the security services.