U.S. drops ‘mother of all bombs’ in Afghanistan

Source: HotAir
Published: Apr 13, 2017
Author: John Sexton
Post Date: 2017-04-13 15:09:35 by Tooconservative
Views: 3297

The actual name of this bomb is Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) but it has long since been known as the Mother of All Bombs because it is the largest non-nuclear weapon the U.S. has produced. Today it was dropped in Afghanistan, the first time the bomb has ever been used in combat. From CNN:

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.

CBS News reports the plan to drop the bomb has been in the works for months:

“The strike was designed to minimize the risk to Afghan and U.S. Forces conducting clearing operations in the area while maximizing the destruction of ISIS-K fighters and facilities,” the Pentagon said in a statement, using the term for the Islamic State’s Afghanistan branch…

The Afghanistan strike had been in the works for a number of months, [CBS News’ David] Martin reports. The weapon was brought into Afghanistan specifically for this mission.

This map shows the location where the bomb was dropped:

The bomb's target was ISIS tunnels and personnel. It’s the first time it has ever been used in combat. https://t.co/UXsqqivkIx pic.twitter.com/53sG9Cxx4H

— CNN (@CNN) April 13, 2017

This History channel clip gives some detail on the development of the MOAB and includes video of a test:

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#1: Fred Mertz    To: Tooconservative (#0)

I looked at the map image.

Is there any significance that the location is near the Pakistan border?

Fred Mertz posted on 2017-04-13 15:23:37   Reply   Private Reply

#2: sneakypete    To: Tooconservative (#0)

It wasn't dropped in combat. It was more like a street-corner mugging that combat. The people in the airplane were the only ones that knew something was going to happen,and nobody fired back at them.

Combat is when you shoot at somebody that is shooting at you.

sneakypete posted on 2017-04-13 15:27:49   Reply   Private Reply

#3: sneakypete    To: Fred Mertz (#1)

Is there any significance that the location is near the Pakistan border?

No. They were just dropping the bomb where intel told them that ISIS was cooped up.

sneakypete posted on 2017-04-13 15:28:45   Reply   Private Reply

#4: Tooconservative    To: Fred Mertz (#1)

Is there any significance that the location is near the Pakistan border?

Sure. Same as with the Taliban. And across the border in Pakistan is the Waziristan region where the Pakis have weak control against their own Taliban elements.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-13 15:50:22   Reply   Private Reply

#5: Tooconservative    To: sneakypete (#2)

It wasn't dropped in combat. It was more like a street-corner mugging that combat. The people in the airplane were the only ones that knew something was going to happen,and nobody fired back at them.

Even so, I bet we can be glad they're dead.

Even though it was months in the planning, it was good payback for the Green Beret killed in the province a few days back.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-13 15:51:46   Reply   Private Reply

#6: Hondo68    To: Tooconservative, *Neo-Lib Chickenhawk Wars* (#0)

Also known as the "Bunker Buster" as advertised by George W. Bush.

Now the Afgani's have a new gravel pit they can use to repair their roads. We're so nice to them, do they deserve it?

If you pack that muzzie gravel mix down with a steam roller, it makes a good road bed!

Hondo68 posted on 2017-04-13 16:16:36   Reply   Private Reply

#7: Tooconservative    To: hondo68 (#6)

If you pack that muzzie gravel mix down with a steam roller, it makes a good road bed!

It was noble of them to give their lives so Afghanistan could have nicer roads.

They should thank President Trump for making it all possible.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-13 16:23:46   Reply   Private Reply

#8: goldilucky    To: Tooconservative (#0)

CBS News reports the plan to drop the bomb has been in the works for months:

Nope not planned for the works in months but in years time.

See link below dated Feb 23, 2003.

news.excite.com/odd/artic...%3A09%3A47%7Creuters.html

goldilucky posted on 2017-04-13 17:23:31   Reply   Private Reply

#9: paraclete    To: Tooconservative (#0)

now why hasn't one of these been dropped on Racca or even on that airfield in Syria, seems much more effective than 59 cruise missiles?

paraclete posted on 2017-04-14 01:30:00   Reply   Private Reply

#10: Tooconservative    To: paraclete (#9)

They're claiming fewer than 40 killed from the MOAB.

They could have done this a lot cheaper by flying past and dropping a load of bombs from a few B-52s.

And we only ever made 15 of these MOABs. So we don't have a stockpile of these very expensive bombs.

I wonder if they had a specific technical reason to want to use this, like creating a single explosion that could kill throughout the cave/tunnel complex. They must have had some reason to use a bomb in such short supply.

I wonder why they haven't released any before/after video or photos of the target area. Maybe it doesn't look like such a good use of such an expensive weapon.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-14 11:25:40   Reply   Private Reply

#11: Tooconservative    To: paraclete (#9)

BTW, I read some other accounts in the Slimes and elsewhere where they mention using multiple 15,000lb daisycutter bombs against some portions of this same cave system.

So using the 21,000lb MOAB wasn't such a big step up from what we attacked the cave/tunnel system with over 10 years ago.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-14 14:47:19   Reply   Private Reply

#12: paraclete    To: Tooconservative (#11)

it is a shame their expertise is such that they have to use munitions such as this to kill a few terrorists, sort of provides the case for chemical weapons desn't it

paraclete posted on 2017-04-14 23:04:25   Reply   Private Reply

#13: Tooconservative    To: paraclete (#12)

It isn't bad that we condemn gas weapons so forcefully.

It's far too easy to use them on hostile or undesirable civilians, not just a military enemy. As we know, gas has been used to kill hundreds of times as many civilians as military (since the Nazis ran the score way up).

Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-15 11:01:28   Reply   Private Reply