The Trump administration has taken another dangerous step toward igniting the entire Middle East into full scale war.
CNN reports that earlier today the U.S. military dropped a massive explosive called a Massive Ordinance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) on Afghanistan. The targets of the huge blast were said to be ISIS fighters and tunnels that they use.
This is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the possession of the United States. It weighs 21,715 pounds, and the warhead weighs 18,739 pounds. It is GPS guided. The ordnance explodes in the air, causing damage through the concussive pressure. This enormously deadly weapon has never been deployed before today. It has a blast radius of over 30 miles.
Breaking: US military has dropped most powerful non-nuclear US bomb, MOAB, targeting ISIS in Nangarhar, Afghanistan — first ever combat use
— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) April 13, 2017
The MOAB, nicknamed by the military the “Mother Of All Bombs,” was dropped with the approval of General John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Presidential spokesman Sean Spicer acknowledged the bombing during his briefing today, but declined to answer questions about the planning or who in fact authorized the attack.
President Trump has recently scaled up military operations across the Middle East. He bombed an airfield in Syria, allegedly in response to the Syrian President’s use of chemical weapons against the civilian population. Drone strikes have been increased dramatically since he took office, being used nearly five times more often than they were under President Obama.
Updated: Trump = one drone strike every 1.8 days; Obama = one every 5.4 days. https://t.co/L5irQM0plZ
— Micah Zenko (@MicahZenko) March 29, 2017
Trump is expanding his military attacks against ISIS across the globe, sparking fears of retaliation against the west and fears of a third World War centered in the Middle East.
Questions continue to arise as we learn more about the planning behind this attack, if any, and the reasons the weapon was chosen. One interesting note is that National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster is currently in Kabul, Afghanistan. His trip was only announced yesterday, and supposed to help Trump determine whether or not more American troops are needed on the ground in the war ravaged country.
ISIS is smiling. Trump dumps MOAB on Afghanistan. Great for their propaganda and recruitment. Keep drawing US in more and more.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) April 13, 2017
Reaction from around the globe has not yet come in, but there is certainly an increased sense of fear among many Americans and Europeans as tensions mount between the U.S. and Russia, a current nuclear power, and North Korea, a country that will soon be in possession of nuclear weapons.
Stay with Liberal America for updates and new information.
Please note: A previous version of this article indicated the MOAB weight is 12,600 pounds. This is incorrect. We corrected the error to reflect the correct weight of the MOAB, which is 21,715 pounds.
Featured image from Wikimedia Commons.
