This image made from a Thursday, April 13, 2017 video released by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a plume of smoke rising from a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb strike on an Islamic State militant cave and tunnel systems in the Achin district of the Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan. U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Thursday struck an Islamic State tunnel complex in eastern Afghanistan with the largest non-nuclear weapon every used in combat by the U.S. military, Pentagon officials said. (U.S. Department of Defense via AP) </s> The US has dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat in eastern Afghanistan on a series of caves used by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, according to the Pentagon.

The GBU-43 bomb was dropped on Thursday from a MC-130 aircraft in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, close to the border with Pakistan, said Adam Stump, a Pentagon spokesperson.

Also known as the “mother of all bombs”, the GBU-43 is a 9,797kg GPS-guided munition and was first tested in March 2003, just days before the start of the Iraq war.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strike was designed to minimise the risk to Afghan and US forces conducting clearing operations in the area.

But the ultra-heavy explosive – equal to 11 tonnes of TNT with a blast radius of 1.6km on each side – could potentially cause many civilian casualties.

The non-nuclear bomb killed at least 36 fighters and destroyed a deep tunnel complex of ISIL, Afghan officials said on Friday, ruling out any civilian casualties.

“As a result of the bombing, key Daesh [ISIL] hideouts and deep tunnel complex were destroyed and 36 IS fighters were killed,” the defence ministry said of the strike.

The bomb landed in the Momand Dara area of Achin district, according to Esmail Shinwari, the local governor.

“The explosion was the biggest I have ever seen. Towering flames engulfed the area,” Shinwari told AFP news agency.

General John Nicholson, the head of US and international forces in Afghanistan, said the bomb was used against caves and bunkers used by ISIL in Afghanistan, also known as ISIS-K.

“As ISIS-K losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defence, he said.

“This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K”.

ISIL’s offshoot in Afghanistan, created in 2015, is also known as the Khorasan Province.

Mark Kimmitt, a retired brigadier-general in the US army and former deputy assistant secretary of defence, played down the use of the GBU-43, saying it is “just another tool the military has”.

“It allows us to go after deeply buried and hardened structures. It’s good use against tunnels and it’s also good use because it’s going to set off IEDs in the area,” he told Al Jazeera.

Kimmitt said it was not at all certain that “political authorities” were informed of the raid before it was carried out.

“Although the size of the bomb was a bit larger than normal, it was a routine military mission against a routine military target,” he said.

The White House would not confirm whether or not President Donald Trump had authorised the use of the bomb.

“Everybody knows exactly what happened and what I do is I authorise my military,” Trump told reporters.

“We have the greatest military in the world and they’ve done their job as usual. So, we have given them total authorisation.”

US officials say intelligence suggests ISIL is based overwhelmingly in Nangarhar and neighbouring Kunar province, among tens of thousands of civilians.

US officials have said they believe the group has only 700 fighters, but Afghan officials estimate there are closer to 1,500 in the country.

Western and Afghan security officials believe fighters frequently switch allegiances between armed groups, making it difficult to know who is to blame for violence.

Peter Galbraith, a former US diplomat and former UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said ISIL would have to be targeted in different locations for the US military strategy to succeed.

“ISIL doesn’t concentrate its forces … so you have to target it in many different places,” he told Al Jazeera.

He said conditions for military operations in ISIL’s Syrian and Iraqi strongholds, Raqqa and Mosul, are different, as they are urban areas with civilian populations.

“A bomb of this magnitude could cause a lot of collateral damage,” Galbraith said.

“But when you’re using it in a remote, rural part of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, you presumably can have some confidence that you’ll not have civilian casualties, or at least not many of them.” </s> Central Command says largest US non-nuclear bomb dropped on caves and bunkers used by ISIL in Afghanistan.

The United States has dropped a massive GBU-43 bomb, the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat, in eastern Afghanistan on a series of caves used by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to the Pentagon.

The bomb was dropped on Thursday from a MC-130 aircraft in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, close to the border with Pakistan, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

It is the largest non-nuclear bomb the US has ever used in combat.

Also known as the "mother of all bombs," the GBU-43 is a 21,600 9,797 kg GPS-guided munition and was first tested in March 2003, just days before the start of the Iraq war.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release that the strike was designed to minimise the risk to Afghan and US forces conducting clearing operations in the area.

General John Nicholson, the head of US and international forces in Afghanistan, said the bomb was used against caves and bunkers used by ISIL in Afghanistan, also known as ISIS-K.

"As ISIS-K losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense.

"This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K," Nicholson said in a statement.

Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington DC, said the operation was intended to damage ISIL's operational capabilities in Afghanistan and to thwart its capability to attack US and Afghan forces.

"The reason such a large scale weapon was used is that it was difficult to have a precise hit that would penetrate the extensive network of tunnels allowing ISIL to continue their operations," Halkett said.

Halkett said that the bomb was one that had a ripple effect that would send shockwaves into the tunnels.

ISIL's offshoot in Afghanistan, created in 2015, is also known as the "Khorasan Province".

US officials say intelligence suggests ISIL is based overwhelmingly in Nangarhar and neighbouring Kunar province.

Estimates of the group's strength in Afghanistan vary. US officials have said they believe its has only 700 fighters, but Afghan officials estimate it has closer to 1,500.

Western and Afghan security officials believe fighters frequently switch allegiances between armed groups, making it difficult to know who is to blame for violence. </s> An attack on a tunnel complex in Afghanistan with the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the US military left 36 Islamic State militants dead and no civilian casualties.

The attack was in a remote mountainous area of Nangarhar province near the Pakistan border where there had been heavy fighting between Afghan forces and Islamic State (IS) militants.

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that several IS caves and ammunition caches were destroyed by the giant bomb, which terrified villagers on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with its "earsplitting blast".

Pentagon officials described it as the "mother of all bombs".

The US maintains over 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counter-terrorism operations.

Over the past year they have largely concentrated on a surge of attacks by the Taliban but on Friday the US military appeared entirely focused on IS.

"This is the right weapon for the right target," said US general John W Nicholson, Nato commander in Afghanistan.

The bomb, known officially as a GBU-43B, or massive ordnance air blast weapon, unleashes 11 tons of explosives.

US president Donald Trump called Thursday’s operation a "very, very successful mission".

General Daulat Waziri, of the Afghanistan Ministry of Defence, said 36 IS fighters were killed by the blast and the death toll could rise.

This image made from a Thursday, April 13, 2017 video released by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb strike on an Islamic State militant cave and tunnel systems in the Achin district of the Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan.

He said the bombing was necessary because the tunnel complex was extremely hard to penetrate, with some as deep as 40m.

"It was a strong position and four times we had operations (attacking the site) and it was not possible to advance," he said, adding that the road leading to the complex "was full of mines".

Pakistani villagers living near the Afghan border said the explosion was so loud they thought a bomb had been dropped in their village by US planes targeting terrorists in Pakistan.

"I was sleeping when we heard a loud explosion. It was an ear-splitting blast," said Shah Wali, 46, who lives in the village of Goor Gari, 15 km (9 miles) from the border with Nangarhar.

"I jumped from my bed and came out of my home to see what has gone wrong in our village."

Mufti Khan, a resident of Achin in Nangarhar, said: "The whole house was shaking. When I came out of my house I saw a large fire and the whole area was burning."

Another Achin resident, Mohammad Hakim, voiced his approval, saying: "We are very happy and these kinds of bombs should be used in future as well, so Daesh is rooted out from here."

Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

"They killed our women, youths and elders sitting them on mines. We also ask the Kabul government to use even stronger weapons against them," Mr Hakim added.

The US estimates 600 to 800 IS fighters are present in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar.

Inamullah Meyakhil, spokesman for the central hospital in eastern Nangarhar province, said it had received no dead or wounded from the attack.

District governor Ismail Shinwari said there is no civilian property near the strike location.

The Site Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist organisations, reported a statement from the Afghan Taliban condemning the US for its "terrorist" attack.

The statement said it is the responsibility of Afghans, not the US, to remove Islamic State from the country. </s> An attack on a tunnel complex in Afghanistan with the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the US military left 36 Islamic State militants dead and no civilian casualties.

The attack was in a remote mountainous area of Nangarhar province near the Pakistan border where there had been heavy fighting between Afghan forces and Islamic State (IS) militants.

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that several IS caves and ammunition caches were destroyed by the giant bomb, which terrified villagers on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with its "earsplitting blast".

Pentagon officials described it as the "mother of all bombs".

The US maintains over 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counter-terrorism operations.

Over the past year they have largely concentrated on a surge of attacks by the Taliban but on Friday the US military appeared entirely focused on IS.

"This is the right weapon for the right target," said US general John W Nicholson, Nato commander in Afghanistan.

The bomb, known officially as a GBU-43B, or massive ordnance air blast weapon, unleashes 11 tons of explosives.

US president Donald Trump called Thursday's operation a "very, very successful mission".

General Daulat Waziri, of the Afghanistan Ministry of Defence, said 36 IS fighters were killed by the blast and the death toll could rise.

This image made from a Thursday, April 13, 2017 video released by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb strike on an Islamic State militant cave and tunnel systems in the Achin district of the Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan.

He said the bombing was necessary because the tunnel complex was extremely hard to penetrate, with some as deep as 40m.

"It was a strong position and four times we had operations (attacking the site) and it was not possible to advance," he said, adding that the road leading to the complex "was full of mines".

Pakistani villagers living near the Afghan border said the explosion was so loud they thought a bomb had been dropped in their village by US planes targeting terrorists in Pakistan.

"I was sleeping when we heard a loud explosion. It was an ear-splitting blast," said Shah Wali, 46, who lives in the village of Goor Gari, 15 km (9 miles) from the border with Nangarhar.

"I jumped from my bed and came out of my home to see what has gone wrong in our village."

Mufti Khan, a resident of Achin in Nangarhar, said: "The whole house was shaking. When I came out of my house I saw a large fire and the whole area was burning."

Another Achin resident, Mohammad Hakim, voiced his approval, saying: "We are very happy and these kinds of bombs should be used in future as well, so Daesh is rooted out from here."

Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

"They killed our women, youths and elders sitting them on mines. We also ask the Kabul government to use even stronger weapons against them," Mr Hakim added.

The US estimates 600 to 800 IS fighters are present in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar.

Inamullah Meyakhil, spokesman for the central hospital in eastern Nangarhar province, said it had received no dead or wounded from the attack.

District governor Ismail Shinwari said there is no civilian property near the strike location.

The Site Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist organisations, reported a statement from the Afghan Taliban condemning the US for its "terrorist" attack.

The statement said it is the responsibility of Afghans, not the US, to remove Islamic State from the country. </s> The US Air Force has dropped the 'largest ever non-nuclear bomb' targeting ISIS tunnels in Afghanistan.

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb — nicknamed the "Mother of All Bombs" (MOAB) — was dropped in at 7pm local time today (4pm UK time).

The Pentagon confirmed the strike was carried out by Air Force Special Operations Command using a 21,000lb weapon - and every precaution was taken to avoid civilians casualties.

The army targeted an cave complex in the Achin district of Nangarhar province after a US special forces 'Green Beret' was killed fighting the terror group in the country, according to Fox News.

The bomb had to be "kicked" out the back of a US Air Force MC-130 cargo plane due to its colossal size, according to the military sources.

"We kicked it out the back door," one U.S. official told Fox News.

It is believed to be the first time the bomb has been used in the battlefield and the military is currently assessing the damage.

The bomb was first developed during the Iraq War and is intended to target large below-surface areas.

General John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, signed off on the use of the bomb, according to the sources.

"As [ISIS'] losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense," General Nicholson said in a statement.

"This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against [ISIS]."

A series of tests show the terrifying force of the bomb as it was dropped into water in 2003.

During a press conference yesterday, US President Donald Trump said he plans to send his national security adviser H.R. McMaster to Afghanistan.

He said: "It’s my hope that NATO will take on an increased role in supporting our Iraqi partners in their battle against ISIS.

"I'm also sending General McMaster to Afghanistan to find out how we can make progress alongside our Afghan partners and NATO allies." </s> A US strike on so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan using the "mother of all bombs" killed at least 36 militants, the country's defence ministry has said.

The Pentagon confirmed the GBU-43 was dropped on caves in Nangarhar Province, very close to the border with Pakistan, on Thursday.

Its nickname is based on the acronym used by the US Air Force, which calls it the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb.

The White House confirmed the "large, powerful and accurately delivered weapon" was dropped around 7pm local time.

Afghan defence minister spokesman Dawlat Waziri said no civilians were harmed in the strike, a claim that has not been independently verified.

"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. </s> America drops Mother of All Bombs in Afghanistan

America drops Mother of All Bombs in Afghanistan

America drops Mother of All Bombs in Afghanistan

A huge bomb, equivalent to 11 tons of dynamite, has been used against ISIS in Afghanistan by the United States of America.

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb – better known by its nickname, the “Mother Of All Bombs” – hit a tunnel complex in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, US Forces Afghanistan said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump called the mission “very, very successful.”

The huge bomb, delivered via an MC-130 transport plane, has a blast yield equivalent to 11 tons of TNT, and the weapon was originally designed as much to intimidate foes as to clear broad areas.

“The GBU-43/B is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat,” Air Force spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder said.

“The explosion was the biggest I have ever seen. Towering flames engulfed the area,” said Achin District Governor Esmail Shinwari.

“We don’t know anything about the casualties so far, but since it is an ISIS stronghold we think a lot of Islamic State fighters may have been killed,” Shinwari said.

US Navy Captain Bill Salvin, spokesman for US Forces Afghanistan, said that a bomb damage assessment was being carried out.

As to the possibility of civilian casualties from such a huge weapon, Salvin said: “Friendly forces scouted the area and noted the lack of civilian presence.

The target was chosen to ensure the maximum effect against (IS) while preventing civilian casualties.”

The strike hit a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters had used to “move around freely, making it easier for them to target US military advisers and Afghan forces” nearby, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

“We must deny them operational space, which we did,” Spicer added.

The Afghan government was aware of the US plan to bomb the ISIS tunnel complex, presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi suggested.

“Heavy casualties have been inflicted on the enemy,” Murtazawi said on Facebook, ruling out the possibility of civilian casualties.

The Mother of All Bombs OAB was developed in 2003, around the time of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The US military on Tuesday said an American special forces soldier had been killed while conducting operations against ISIS in Nangarhar.

Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar, 37, died on 8 April in Nangarhar Province of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with ISIS fighters. </s> ISIS fighters have lost 36 people as a result of the US strike against their base in Afghanistan. Key cashes of terrorists and a complex of tunnels have also been destroyed. As the Afghan Defence Ministry reported, there were no victims among peaceful civilians.

The US claimed overnight that the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast has been used operationally for the first time in Afghanistan. The bomb is also known as the Mother of All Bombs. As they said in the Pentagon, the strike was carried out on the Achin region of the Nangarhar province Thursday. The aim was ISIS fighters and system of tunnels they used.

The US President Donald Trump said the strike was a very successful mission.

Meanwhile former CIA agent Edward Snowden revealed what the Americans bombed in Afghanistan in reality. According to him, they struck tunnels building of which was funded by the US. The New York Times has also written that construction of the base for Mujahideen had been funded by the CIA.
The United States Air Force drops the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, reportedly on an ISIL complex of tunnels and caves. This is the first use of the weapon on the battlefield.