We knew it would be just a matter of time, and just a day after it unleashed its most powerful non nuclear bomb for the first time—the 22,600lb Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB for short—on a key ISIS position in eastern Afghanistan, the Pentagon has released infrared footage of the strike.
Just as The War Zone assessed, the weapon was used against a sprawling target nestled among mountainous terrain, with the nearby topographical variations working to magnify yet also contain the weapon’s massive concussive effects.
The Pentagon also claims 36 ISIS fighters were killed in the blast. This number disappointed some, but taking on dozens of ISIS foot soldiers embedded in fortified, unfamiliar and likely boobytrapped positions via other means could have been a very deadly affair for Afghan National Army or even US special operations troops. And as we discussed in detail earlier, the psychological effects of employing a weapon of this magnitude cannot be denied. Supposedly three tunnel systems and multiple caches of weapons were also destroyed in the strike.
We have requested more information on the strike via the Freedom Of Information Act and will keep you updated if and when we receive further details.
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com