US drops largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan

Washington April 13 (IANS) The US military has dropped an enormous bomb in Afghanistan to target the Islamic State on Thursday media reports said.

According to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb nicknamed MOAB was dropped at 7 p.m. (local time) CNN reported.

Known as the mother of all bombs the MOAB is a 21 600-pound GPS-guided munition that is America s most powerful non-nuclear bomb.

The bomb was dropped by an MC-130 aircraft operated by Air Force Special Operations Command according to the military sources.

They said IS tunnels and personnel in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province were the targets.

The military is currently assessing the damage.

--IANS
vgu/tsb