Last Thursday, April 13, the United States dropped what is considered the largest and most powerful non-nuclear bomb on an Islamic State tunnel complex. The bomb was dropped in Afghanistan in attempt to take action against the terrorist group ISIS.
According to CNN “A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed the ‘mother of all bombs,’ was dropped at 7:32 p.m. local time, according to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission.”
The bomb, CNN reported, was “ a 30-foot-long, 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition.” This bomb cost “$16 million, and more than $300 million to develop” as stated by the New York Times. The bomb, so large it had to be dropped from a cargo carrier, detonated before it hit the ground and could be seen from 20 miles away.
President of the United States, Donald Trump, authorized the attack and described it as a “another very, very successful mission.” Trump has handed over “total authorization” to execute operations against ISIS. While the United States authorized this attack, they have yet to release the death toll publicly or discuss the specific damage. Fox news reported, “There are under 1,000 ISIS fighters in eastern Afghanistan. Gen. John Nicholson said hundreds of U.S. airstrikes in the past two years have cut the number down by two-thirds.” Fox news also reported, “Afghan officials say 36 ISIS fighters were killed in the strike.”
With the possibility of loss of civilian life, the White House and Military officials have stated clearly their decisions were the best option for action against the Islamic State. They have also stated their other options of a land attack would have resulted in loss of American and allies of the United States life. However, this is the third American lead airstrike since Trump took office. Previous bombings have claimed the lives of 3,471 civilians, according to the New York Times.
Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed during his daily press briefing at the White House, that the strike would lessen operational space for ISIS. The Afghanistan Government was kept in the loop surrounding the discussion of the drop of the massive bomb however the former Afghan President condemned it.