2017 Nangarhar airstrike: Difference between revisions
Wikipedia is not a news outlet. I changed the citation and description to an extremely similar one found on the MOAB wikipedia article, only source is no longer a (biased) news article |
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A [[Pentagon]] spokesman stated that the bomb had been brought to Afghanistan "''some time ago''" to strike the ISIS stronghold near the Pakistani border. David Martin, CBS News national security correspondent, said that planning began during the administration of US-President [[Barack Obama]]. Permission to use the MOAB was obtained by the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General [[John W. Nicholson, Jr.|John Nicholson]]. But it was unclear how far up the chain of command his request traveled.<ref name="CBS US Drops" /> |
A [[Pentagon]] spokesman stated that the bomb had been brought to Afghanistan "''some time ago''" to strike the ISIS stronghold near the Pakistani border. David Martin, CBS News national security correspondent, said that planning began during the administration of US-President [[Barack Obama]]. Permission to use the MOAB was obtained by the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General [[John W. Nicholson, Jr.|John Nicholson]]. But it was unclear how far up the chain of command his request traveled.<ref name="CBS US Drops" /> |
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The MOAB is not a [[Penetration (weapons)|penetrator weapon]] and is primarily intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas and targets in a contained environment such as a deep canyon or within a cave system.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.defensenews.com/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-mother-of-all-bombs |title=What you need to know about the 'Mother of All Bombs' |last=Insinna |first=Valerie |year=2017 |publisher=[[Defense News]] |access-date=14 April 2017}}</ref> The US-military has targeted similar complexes and dropped tens of thousands of bombs in Afghanistan. |
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President [[Donald Trump]] did not say whether he specifically authorized the use of the MOAB, simply remarking he has given the military “''total authorization''”<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/spicer-wont-say-if-trump-authorized-mother-of-all-bombs-in-afghanistan Trump, Spicer won't say if president specifically authorized "mother of all bombs"], CBS, 13 April 2017</ref> and praising the US military as the “greatest” in the world: “We have given them total authorization and that’s what they’re doing and frankly that’s why they’ve been so successful lately”.<ref name="WaPo1342017" /><ref>[http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/trump-military-total-authorization-afghanistan-iraq Trump: I'm giving the military "total authorization"], militarytimes.com, 13 April 2017</ref> |
President [[Donald Trump]] did not say whether he specifically authorized the use of the MOAB, simply remarking he has given the military “''total authorization''”<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/spicer-wont-say-if-trump-authorized-mother-of-all-bombs-in-afghanistan Trump, Spicer won't say if president specifically authorized "mother of all bombs"], CBS, 13 April 2017</ref> and praising the US military as the “greatest” in the world: “We have given them total authorization and that’s what they’re doing and frankly that’s why they’ve been so successful lately”.<ref name="WaPo1342017" /><ref>[http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/trump-military-total-authorization-afghanistan-iraq Trump: I'm giving the military "total authorization"], militarytimes.com, 13 April 2017</ref> |
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Revision as of 07:11, 14 April 2017
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (April 2017) |
| April 2017 Nangarhar airstrike | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War in Afghanistan (2015–present) | |||||
 The "Mother of All Bombs" | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 United States | |||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
|
John Nicholson | |||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 36 recorded[1][2] | |||||
  Location within Afghanistan | |||||
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On 13 April 2017, a large non-nuclear bomb known as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), was dropped by the United States in the Nangahar’s Achin District in eastern Afghanistan to destroy tunnel complexes used by ISIS.[3][4][5] The GBU-43 is a 9,797 kg (21,600 lbs), GPS-guided bomb, the most powerful conventional bomb in America's arsenal, first tested in March 2003, just days before the start of the Iraq war[6] and is an evolutionary follow-up to the 6,800 kg BLU-82 "Daisy Cutters". Each GBU-43 costs about $16 million.[7] It was dropped from the back cargo door of an Air Force C-130.
Events
The bombardment came one week after the US strike on the Syrian military base and just days after the US Army Special Forces soldier, Army Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar, was mortally wounded by small-arms fire in the eastern province of Nangahar.[8] Nangahar’s Achin district was a stronghold of the local ISIS branch in Afghanistan, which calls itself Khorasan Province. US officials said the group was made up of mostly Pakistani and Uzbek militants.
A Pentagon spokesman stated that the bomb had been brought to Afghanistan "some time ago" to strike the ISIS stronghold near the Pakistani border. David Martin, CBS News national security correspondent, said that planning began during the administration of US-President Barack Obama. Permission to use the MOAB was obtained by the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson. But it was unclear how far up the chain of command his request traveled.[3]
The MOAB is not a penetrator weapon and is primarily intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas and targets in a contained environment such as a deep canyon or within a cave system.[9] The US-military has targeted similar complexes and dropped tens of thousands of bombs in Afghanistan.
President Donald Trump did not say whether he specifically authorized the use of the MOAB, simply remarking he has given the military “total authorization”[10] and praising the US military as the “greatest” in the world: “We have given them total authorization and that’s what they’re doing and frankly that’s why they’ve been so successful lately”.[11][12]
See also
References
- ^ "First Reports Coming Out of Afghanistan: MOAB killed 100 ISIS Fighters". Independent Journal Review. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ "36 ISIS fighters killed by US 'mother of all bombs': Afghan official". CNN. 14 April 2017.
- ^ a b "U.S. drops "mother of all bombs" in Afghanistan, marking weapon's first use". Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ Tomlinson, Lucas (13 April 2017). "US drops largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan after Green Beret killed". Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ CNN, Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne. "US drops largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan". Retrieved 13 April 2017.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ US drops 'mother of all bombs' on ISIL in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera, 13 April 2017
- ^ cnbc.com: What we know about the 'mother of all bombs' that was dropped on Afghanistan, 13 April 2017
- ^ Pentagon identifies U.S. Special Forces soldier killed fighting the Islamic State in Afghanistan, The Washington Post, 10 April 2017
- ^ Insinna, Valerie (2017). "What you need to know about the 'Mother of All Bombs'". Defense News. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Trump, Spicer won't say if president specifically authorized "mother of all bombs", CBS, 13 April 2017
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WaPo1342017was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Trump: I'm giving the military "total authorization", militarytimes.com, 13 April 2017
