Monitoring Desk: The US military did reality test of its heaviest non-nuclear bomb of 21,000 pound in Achin district of the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday.
The US developed the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed “the mother of all bombs,” in 2003, but it had never been used in combat until today. The Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump confirmed that it was the first-ever combat use of the bomb. He further said that bomb contained 11 tons of explosives. The approximate cost of bomb is $314million.
No comments or reaction over use of Mother of all Bombs has come from Afghan government till the filing of this report.
US Air Force is yet to share causalities on ground and just indicated that Islamic State tunnels were target of this bomb.
General John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan approved dropping MOAB.
MOAB is known as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed.
According to Wikipedia, MOAB was first tested on 11 March 2003, on Range 70 located at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
The basic operational concept of this bomb bears some similarity to the BLU-82 Daisy Cutter, which was used in Afghanistan at Tora Bora Mountains in early days of US attack in year 2001.
CNN reported that MOAB was dropped out of an C-130 aircraft, operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, military. It was kicked off from the aircraft, said official sources.
Resolute Support force in Afghanistan said that every precaution was taken to avoid civilian casualties with strike
Green Party through a twitter message criticised US government to use such expensive bomb in Afghanistan.
The U.S. can’t afford universal healthcare, Meals on Wheels or train services but there’s money for a $300M bomb in Afghanistan. #Priorities
— Green Party US (@GreenPartyUS) April 13, 2017
Edward Snowden indicates the cost of bomb as $314 million in his twitter message.
The bomb dropped today in the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan, cost $314,000,000. https://t.co/mV6sJoMIFJ (credit @thenib) pic.twitter.com/aj0Om5RhAV
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 13, 2017
