U.S. Drops 'Mother of All Bombs' on ISIS Target in Afghanistan and Receives Mixed Reactions
The most powerful non-nuclear bomb was dropped in Afghanistan by the U.S. military on Wednesday. The GBU-43 dropped on ISIS targets, said U.S. officials.
This is the first time the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) — also known as the "mother of all bombs," — has been used in battle. The 21,600-pound MOAB was dropped from an aircraft around 7:32 p.m. local time, according to four U.S. military officials.
President Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the target was an ISIS cave.
"The United States takes the fight against ISIS very seriously and in order to defeat the group we must deny them operational space, which we did," Spicer said on Thursday. The strike "targeted a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters use to move around freely."
Although Spicer did not confirm whether Donald Trump authorized the drop, the president spoke with reporters while meeting with first responders from Atlanta and somewhat suggested that he authorized the bomb.
When explicitly asked if he authorized the bomb, the president delivered a non-direct answer.
"Everybody knows exactly what happened, so, what I do is I authorize my military," said the president.
News of the bomb drop excited many people in Trump's base
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However, a move as large as this instilled fear in others who believe this could lead to global war
Additionally, the cost of the bomb troubled some who feel money should be spent domestically
