(14 Apr 2017) The US and NATO commander in Afghanistan on Friday defended the use of the MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst) bomb against an Islamic State cave and tunnel system.
The bomb, known officially as a GBU-43B, but nicknamed the Mother Of All Bombs is the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the US military, according to the Pentagon.
US Army General John W. Nicholson told reporters in Kabul on Friday it was the "right weapon against the right target."
He said the tunnels and caves were being used by the enemy to move around the battlefield and protest themselves from attacks from Afghan and US forces.
The bomb, packing 11 tons of explosives, was dropped on Thursday on a tunnel complex in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, where the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group has been operating. The target was close to the Pakistani border.
US President Donald Trump later described it as a "very, very successful mission."


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