US drops 'mother of all bombs' in Afghanistan killing 36 ISIS militants

14 April 2017 12:21 pm - 24 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Up to 36 suspected Islamic State militants were killed in Afghanistan when the US dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat, the Guardian reported quoting the Afghan defence ministry on Friday.

To target a “tunnel complex” used by the ISIS’s Afghanistan affiliate, the US for the first time used what the military colloquially calls the “mother of all bombs”, the GBU-43/B.

Dawlat Waziri, an Afghan ministry spokesman said of Thursday’s strike: “No civilian has been hurt and only the base, which Daesh used to launch attacks in other parts of the province, was destroyed.”

Designed for destroying underground targets but not itself a deep-earth penetrator weapon, the GBU-43/B has the explosive yield of more than 11 tons of TNT.

The massive bomb is dropped from air force planes and detonates before reaching the ground, resulting in an enormous blast radius. Only the Massive Ordnance Penetrator GBU-57, which has never been used in war, is a larger conventional weapon.

The psychological effect on survivors or observers is considered an added impact of the weapon.

Asked whether he had authorized the bombing, Donald Trump said: “Everybody knows exactly what happened. What I do is I authorize my military. We have the greatest military in the world and they’ve done a job as usual. We have given them total authorization and that’s what they’re doing and frankly that’s why they’ve been so successful lately.”

Did this bombing send a message to North Korea? “I don’t know if this sends a message; it doesn’t make any difference if it does or not,” the president said. “North Korea is a problem, the problem will be taken care of.” He implied that China was “working very hard” on this issue.

Army Gen John W Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement that the GBU-43/B was the “right munition” to use against the Islamic State in Khorosan, or Isis-K.

The blast detonated at 7.32pm local time in the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, according to the US military.

Sarab, a local resident from Asadkhel in Achin, close to the mountain where the bomb targeted Isis tunnels, said he saw a giant flame before the blast made the ground shake. “It was the biggest blast I have ever heard,” he said.

Sarab added that the targeted area had recently been completely occupied by Isis fighters. “There is no way that civilians were still living there,” he said.

However, a parliamentarian from Nangarhar, Esmatullah Shinwari, said locals had told him one teacher and his young son had been killed.

One man, the MP recounted, had told him before the phone lines went down: “I have grown up in the war, and I have heard different kinds of explosions through 30 years: suicide attacks, earthquakes different kinds of blasts. I have never heard anything like this.”
Haji Ghalib Mujahed, a local veteran commander, said he felt “tremors” all the way to Bati Kot, a neighbouring district where he is now the administrative chief.

An American special forces soldier was killed last week in Achin while fighting Isis-K, but a US military spokesman in Kabul, Capt William Salvin, said there was “absolutely no connection” between that death and Thursday’s bombing.

Nicholson’s command said it took “every precaution to avoid civilian casualties”, without defining those steps, but gave no word on the impact to Afghan civilians

The military said it used the GBU-43/B to “minimize the risk” to Afghan and US forces fighting Isis-K in Achin.

Following the bombing, US and Afghan forces began clearing operations in the targeted area.

An Afghan army soldier told the Guardian, as he was driving toward the targeted area: “The explosion felt like a big earthquake, even in the surrounding districts.”

Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, said on Thursday the use of the GBU-43/B showed the US “takes the fight against Isis very seriously and in order to defeat the group we must deny them operational space, which we did”.

Describing the bombing at his regular White House press briefing, he told reporters: “At around 7pm local time in Afghanistan last night the United States military used a GBU-43 weapon in Afghanistan. The GBU-43 is a large, powerful and accurately delivered weapon.

We targeted a system of tunnels and caves that Isis fighters used to move around freely, making it easier for them to target US military advisers and Afghan forces in the area.”

He refused to answer further questions about the bomb at his regular press briefing, referring journalists to the Department of Defense.

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Comments - 24

Senewi Friday, 14 April 2017 04:26 PM

AithZ ISIS is also a product of USA

It is coming Monday, 17 April 2017 07:36 AM

Afghanistan Libya Syria Iran who is next

ceylon Saturday, 15 April 2017 05:29 PM

kill the criminals.great service to the society.give couple of to north korean mass killer communist dictator.world is very much better without them. via DM Android App

ceylon Saturday, 15 April 2017 04:43 PM

drop this one to north korean dictator.he need it. via DM Android App

S.P.RAMKUMAR Friday, 14 April 2017 09:59 PM

Now US will put All old stocks like Mother, Father, Grand mother and Grand father bombs later President Trump will put little girl ( little boy already had been put) on North Korea.

Mendis Friday, 14 April 2017 09:22 PM

Nalliah you are spot on.Only fools think the West would stop after ISIS is finished.They will bomb some other brown or yellow or Black Country. Continuation of the 400 years.

Booruwa Friday, 14 April 2017 08:43 PM

How does such a powerful bomb that obliterates everything in its path know that "36 militants were killed"? Shouldn't their bodies also be blown into smithereens?

yaka mahathaya Friday, 14 April 2017 08:36 PM

biggest bomb kills 36 ppl ?? wow that is some size

rosebud Friday, 14 April 2017 07:20 PM

Mother of All Bombs And no civilians killed No collateral damage via DM Android App

domz Friday, 14 April 2017 06:27 PM

this is like a joke. the US funds isis from one side and destroys them on the other side. many of the guns used by isis is also used by the US military.Clearly there seems to be another intention and plan. via DM Android App

Grace Friday, 14 April 2017 05:14 PM

There is no cure for their mental disease other then wiping out the all lot

Shelly. Friday, 14 April 2017 04:49 PM

What a mess...Men talk of God kill each other. But the truth is they know nothing of God. The killing is for land and resourses therein. via DM Android App

Nalliah Friday, 14 April 2017 12:51 PM

The minority of this planet (Whites) has been killing the majority of this planet (brown,yellow,and black) for the last 400years.This barbaric bombing is the continuation of their 400 year old criminal enterprise.

AZAB Friday, 14 April 2017 04:23 PM

poor Japanese ...WW2.... Weldon U S A supporters ... via DM Android App

lokka Friday, 14 April 2017 03:28 PM

well done america

SL Friday, 14 April 2017 03:13 PM

Yankees have already killed more than 200 civilians in Syria /Iraq since they started the fresh airstrikes in march 2017.However Yankees are always correct and for peace loving

TESTER. Friday, 14 April 2017 02:59 PM

TESTING GROUND OF NEW WEAPONS OF US .WHEN NORTH KOREA DOES ITS THREATENING BUT WHEN THEY DO FIGHTING TERRORISM. WHO IS BULLYING WHOM via DM Android App

Justica USA... Friday, 14 April 2017 02:45 PM

USA went into Iraq citing WMD....n is still in a quagmire...as claimed by them....mother of all bombs...th8s just doesnt hit a target but destroys anything withing a 1.6 miles radius...Isnt that a Weapon Of Mass Destruction (WMD)..US just wanted to test thus n found excuses to do so. what threat has the US in another country..yo dump such munitions....pretty soon US will be a dump for bombs of all varieties...US is not needed in Afghanistan to destroy the country....when one throws a ball to the wall...it comes back twice as hard...BTW ISIS is a creation of the US....it will come to light in years... but too late...how cone ISIS is all over the middle east n not in Israel how come Syria Afghanistan Yemen Somalia is bombed by ISIS but not 1 has reached Israel...ironic the ISIS chief was educated in Israel...why are UN Amnesty International HRW all silent when America bombs other countries via DM Android App

AjithZ Friday, 14 April 2017 02:13 PM

Americans have their own arrogance and other issues. Still you need them. Just like they helped the world to defeat Germans during world war 2, need their help to defeat ISIS too. It will not happen without their help.

AjithZ Friday, 14 April 2017 02:09 PM

Do you prefer ISIS to take over the world?

mohamed Ansar Friday, 14 April 2017 01:34 PM

we completely agreed with this attack. ISIS’s are not Muslim and they are mixed with US and some of other western country tarnish the image world Muslims and peaceful Islam region and it's acts. please destroy them completely. The real Muslim always support this action

punchinlame Friday, 14 April 2017 01:16 PM

It boils down to various fundamentaist trying to make aliving during their life time and the repersucion of itbrings in the answer from US - the world Policeman.

Dee Friday, 14 April 2017 12:59 PM

Good news to the world. This new year should be a good one. Wipe out isis before the year ends.

ravin Friday, 14 April 2017 12:58 PM

If it is done by US no question should be asked. Because always they are correct. Done by some one else, even UN is highly concerns.

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US drops 'mother of all bombs' in Afghanistan killing 36 ISIS militants

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