The U.S. military has dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb, the so-called Massive Ordnance Air Blast" often called by its nickname, the "Mother of All Bombs"(MOAB), on an ISIS tunnel complex in eastern Afghanistan, marking the first time that such a weapon has been used. The GBU-43, a 21,600 lb bomb, was first developed in the Iraq war but has never been used on the battlefield. The airstrike occurred at about 7:32 p.m. local time on Thursday when a U.S. aircraft dropped a GBU-43 bomb on an ISIS tunnel complex in Achin district in Nangarhar province. U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a statement that the weapon was used to minimize the risk to Afghan and U.S. forces which are conducting clearing operations in the area, while maximizing the destruction of ISIS fighters and facilities. "As ISIS-K's losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense," said General John W. Nicholson, the commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. "This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K." The military said the results of the bombing were not immediately known, but said it had taken "every precaution" to avoid civilian casualties.
