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The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also known as the "Mother of All Bombs", has been dropped in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. It is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal.
The US military has dropped an enormous bomb in Afghanistan, according to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission. A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, nicknamed MOAB, was dropped at 7 p.m. local time Thursday, the sources said. [...] A MOAB is a 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition that is America's most powerful non-nuclear bomb.
The bomb was dropped by an MC-130 aircraft, operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, according to the military sources. They said the target was an ISIS tunnel and cave complex as well as personnel in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province.
Gen. John Nicholson, Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement. "This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against [ISIS]." The statement said U.S. forces took every precaution to avoid civilian casualties.
Also at Fox News. The bombing came days after the death of a Green Beret in the same province, but a defense official said the bombing was unrelated. Another official had this to say:
The MOAB had to be dropped out of the back of a U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane due to its massive size. "We kicked it out the back door," one U.S. official told Fox News.
Update: The Afghan defence ministry says that 36 ISIS fighters were killed by the strike.
(Score: 1) by evil_aaronm on Friday April 14 2017, @04:05PM (4 children)
Nothing more. Not the right weapon for the job, as others have mentioned. "MOAB" - never used before - deployed by tiny hands would-be dictator to compensate for his shortcomings. And his base eat it up like the simpletons they are. I guarantee they were sitting around a table and Trump asked, "What's the biggest bomb we have, short of a nuke, so I can make the front pages, again?"
(Score: 5, Funny) by DannyB on Friday April 14 2017, @04:24PM (2 children)
It was the right weapon for Trump's personal amusement. But how do you top your last bombing? Use a bigger bomb. So after using a bunch of tomahawks, he used a single big bomb. Extrapolate from there how to top MOAB to get that good satisfying feeling once again thinking people now must respect you even more than last time.
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A. Look, we can change the light bulb. That I will tell you. We're changing it, ok? And I understand what you're saying, I hear it all the time. People call me and say "Is the light bulb really dead?". That's what they are asking me, its unbelievable. The light bulb is in big trouble, that I can tell you. But we are going to change it. Bigly.
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(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @06:02PM
Almost get the feeling of some 007 antagonist that have a hard time deciding between he's evil weapons kind of in the same way that one chooses a fine wine. ;-)
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Friday April 14 2017, @07:47PM
The best thing we are going to get out of this administration is a lifetime (maybe?) of joke Q and A in that format.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday April 14 2017, @05:33PM
What specifically makes this the wrong weapon? It's an airburster, one whose purpose is to make a massive overpressure wave at ground level. Someone above compared it to a sonic boom at surface level, and someone else said the point was basically to suck all the air out of the tunnel complex. This *sounds* effective enough, not to mention a fucking terrifying way to die.
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