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: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @06:23PM (2 children)
This new "normal" stinks on ice.
The fact that it is readily accepted by Joe Average is shameful.
That it is happening in a self-described Democratic and Christian nation makes it further deplorable.
You have skipped over a step in the process.
Notice that it does not say "no US citizen".
It does not say "no person within the USA".
It says "NO PERSON".
The US Constitution also says that the Congress alone has the power to declare war.
That last happened on December 8, 1941.
All military engagements by USA.mil since the end of those hostilities on September 2, 1945 have been unconstitutional aggression.
USA has clearly become a rogue nation, not even abiding by its own founding documents.
Look around you at the dilapidated infrastructure and the abused natural environment and the ever-poorer proletariat.
This is what an empire in decline looks like.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by rts008 on Friday April 14 2017, @08:42PM (1 child)
Well, the 'Democratic and Christian' points are debatable[1], but I fully get your point and intent.
Otherwise, I agree wholeheartedly.
[1] democracy has almost completely been replaced with oligarchy, and as for the 'christian' aspect....HAHAAHAHAHA/ROFLCopter! The more they proclaim 'christian/christian values', the more heretic they become. Some of them are in a tizzy about 'Sharia Law'...those are the Christian Taliban, wanting to impose their distorted version of christian laws unto us all.
As an offtopic aside, the founding fathers were mostly NOT christian...most were atheists, or deists. The actual christians were a small minority. And the whole concept of a secular gov't., freedom of religian(which implies an equal freedom from religion to keep it from being a theocracy, etc...)
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday April 15 2017, @01:32PM
So arguments should begin "the founding fathers were mostly christians who believed that [stuff you'd expect only very enlightened christians or non-theists to believe]." rather than "the founding fathers were mostly atheists ...".
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves