“The Pentagon said U.S. military forces dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan on Thursday,” Rachel Cao reports for CNBC.
“This is the first time the GBU-43 bomb, known as the ‘mother of all bombs,’ has ever been used in combat, according to Adam Stump, the Pentagon spokesman,” Cao reports. “The bomb contains 11 tons of explosives and is formally known as the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb.”
As news broke, the DJIA ceded early gains and moved into the red (-$85.15 (-0.41%) to $20,506.71). Apple dropped from a high of $142.38 to $141.79 as news broke.
Cao reports, “Stumps says the bomb was dropped on cave complex believed to have Islamic State fighters.”
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“The [GPS-guided] bomb was dropped by an MC-130 aircraft, operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, according to the military sources,” Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne report for CNN.
“The military is currently assessing the damage. Gen. John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, signed off on the use of the bomb, according to the sources,” Starr and Browne report. “Authority had to be sought from Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command.”
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MacDailyNews Note: Here is footage of the GBU-43 (MOAB) being tested in 2003:
