Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed the US army for dropping the GBU-43 bomb targeting an Islamic State complex in Afghanistan on Thursday. According to Afghan officials, the bomb killed at least 36 IS militants. It is said to be the largest non-nuclear bomb.
Trump said his administration has given US military total authorisation and that is why they were successful. Trump authorised the use of bomb and called the mission “very, very successful”.
Trump told the reporters later that, “It was really another successful job, we are very proud of our military. We are so proud of our military, it was another successful event. Everybody knows exactly what happened, what I do is I authorise our military.
" We have the greatest military in the world, they’ve done a job, as usual, so we have given them total authorisation and that’s what they’re doing, and frankly, that’s why they’ve been so successful lately.”
“If you look at what’s happened over the last eight weeks and you compare that to what’s happened over the last eight years, you’ll see there’s a tremendous difference. So we have incredible leaders of the military and incredible military, and we are very proud of them, and this was another very very successful mission,” Trump added.
Trump also targeted North Korea and in a tweet said, ” North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! USA.”
What actually happened in the Afghanistan bombing?The United States had dropped the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), also known as ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ on Thursday in Afghanistan against a series of caves used by Islamic State militants.
It was dropped on a tunnel complex of ISIS-Khorasan. According to Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump, the bomb was dropped from a MC-130 aircraft operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, near Pakistan border.
According to a PTI report, Adam Stump, Pentagon spokesman said, ” It was the first-ever combat use of the bomb. A MOAB is a 21,600- pound, GPS-guided munition that is America’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb.”
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in his daily news conference said, “The GBU-43 is a large, powerful and accurately delivered weapon. We targeted a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters used to move around freely, making it easier for them to target US military advisers and Afghan forces in the area.”
Why it happened?According to the US Central Command (USCENTCOM), the attack is a part of the ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS-K in Afghanistan. Nangarha borders Pakistan and is home for about 600-800 ISIS-K fighters.
What is GBU-43 bomb?GBU-43 is a non-nuclear bomb developed by Albert L Weimorts, Jr of Air Force Research Laboratory. It was first tested in the year 2003 in Florida at the Eglin Air Force Base. The MOAB is believed to be the deadliest non-nuclear weapon designed, left a cloud of smoke that was visible up to 20 miles from the scene of the blast, an article by the Eglin Air Force Base said.
The weapon weighs 21,600 pounds and costs around 16 million dollar, according to Deagel. The bomb was designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules, primarily the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants. It is designed to target places that are not easily reachable. It is GPS enabled and can target with smarter and improved accuracy.
What was the outcome of the bombing?According to Afghan officials, the bombing reportedly killed at least 36 militants as it was able to decimate a deep tunnel complex of the Islamic State group, adding that there have been no civilian casualties. “As a result of the bombing, key Daesh (IS) hideouts and deep tunnel complex were destroyed and 36 IS fighters were killed,” the defence ministry stated.
Reactions from around the world:Trump has sent a strong message to the Islamic State that will be heard in Russia, North Korea, Iran and around the world, Congressman Kevin said.
“I applaud our brave men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day to keep our country safe,” he said.
Congressman Matt Gaetz said Trump’s decision to drop the GBU-43 shows his deep commitment to eradicating ISIS worldwide.
Unprecedented use of a MOAB, which is considered the ‘Mother of All Bombs,’ marks a new front in the almost 16 year war in Afghanistan, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
“President Trump owes the American people an explanation about his escalation of military force in Afghanistan and his long-term strategy to defeat ISIS. No president should have a blank check for endless war, especially not this president, who is acting without any checks or oversight from the Republican-controlled Congress,” she said.
“The decision to drop the MOAB in eastern Afghanistan sends a clear message that the US is committed and determined to defeating ISIS and other terrorist organisations in Afghanistan,” said Senator Jim Inhofe, senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“I spoke to President Ghani and our coalition partners about this same commitment when I visited Kabul this February. This strike supports our Afghan partners and their fight against these terrorist groups,” he said.
