US drops largest non nuclear bomb on Afghanistan



Today, the US dropped a MOAB in Afghanistan on an ISIS tunnel complex. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB, aka Mother of All Bombs, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb made so far) delivers a hell of a punch and has a blast radius of up to one mile around ground zero. The MOAB is a 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition.
The bomb was dropped at 7:32 pm local time Thursday by an MC-130 aircraft stationed in Afghanistan and operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump.
An earlier attempt was made, a few years ago, to blast  another network of tunnels in Afghanistan and it failed, likely because the tunnels went so deep underground.  We may never know for sure how many ISIS militants were killed or maimed by the MOAB but it definitely made an impact on the hive.
The USA and it's allies, including my country of Canada, have been fighting in Afghanistan for 16 years. There will not be a speedy conclusion any time soon, in spite of Mr Trump's enthusiasm for war. ISIS is deeply entrenched in Afghanistan and other Arab countries and has access to billions of dollars from oil rich Arabs. At times it seems futile, but to back away from ISIS would cause it to blossom and grow at an astronomical rate. There is no easy solution, although Mr Trump is showing an alarming penchant for bombing and striking with Tomahawk missiles.
He seems to act on impulse or knee-jerk. It's sporadic and unrelated and doesn't appear  to have any strategy or master plan. But at least he is willing to take forceful action when others are not.


UPDATE:
KABUL, April 14 (Reuters) - As many as 36 suspected Islamic State militants were killed in Afghanistan when the United States dropped "the mother of all bombs," its largest non-nuclear device ever unleashed in combat, the Afghan Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The claims have not been independently verified, but ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said no civilians were harmed in Thursday's massive blast that targeted a network of caves and tunnels.
"No civilian has been hurt and only the base which Daesh used to launch attacks in other parts of the province, was destroyed," Waziri said in a statement, using an Arabic term for Islamic State, which has established a small stronghold in eastern Afghanistan and launched deadly attacks on the capital, Kabul.