36 ISIS fighters killed by US 'mother of all bombs': Afghan official

[leftynyc]

Source: CNN

(CNN)In its second major display of military might in one week, the US dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb on ISIS positions in a remote part of Afghanistan.

Afghan officials said 36 militants were killed in the strike in Nangarhar province, near the Pakistan border. The US military previously estimated ISIS had 600 to 800 fighters operating in the area.
On Thursday night, a GBU-43/B Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), capable of destroying an area equivalent to nine city blocks, was dropped on a network of fortified underground tunnels ISIS had been using to stage attacks on government forces.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/14/asia/afghanistan-isis-moab-bomb/

---

Seems like a lot of boom for not so many killed.

[HoneyBadger]

1. Thankfully no children killed by our bomb this time

[leftynyc]

2. The location was pretty remote

so I'm not surprised civilian casualties will thankfully be kept to a minimum (if any at all). Also, We just paid $314 million dollars to be dropped and I'm interested in hearing the "was it worth it?" aspect

[madville]

64. That number is for all 20 MOABs that were ordered

SO they actually cost about $16 million each. SO it cost about $444,000 for each fighter killed. Would have to crunch some numbers of what the costs are to have soldiers on the ground kill 36 enemy fighters but the $444,000 per kill may be a cost savings over regular ground operations with less risk to our personnel.

[lies]

3. LOL

That they're admitting to.

Believe that at your peril.

And it cost us $8.3M to kill each individual. It'd be cheaper to just give a lot of ISIS fighters a million each to take themselves out of the fight. We could've bribed 300 people for the cost of killing 36.

Remembering that there's ISIS affiliates in at LEAST 18 countries. Spending millions to kill each member will bankrupt America.

[HoneyBadger]

4. I am fairly sure that paying ISIS cash not to fight would end badly

[lies]

6. Consider the alternative

We've been fighting these people for over a decade.

In the process we've not only lost Iraq to militants then Iran, and god knows how that'll end up, but also Syria to Iran and Russia, and Libya to ISIS. And we're actively assisting ISIS in Yemen. And starving millions of women and children in the process.

All of this has killed millions of civilians, cost trillions, and has no end in sight. ISIS is now in 18 countries.

Now we could KEEP DOING what has never worked, resulting in millions more deaths and trillions more spent or we could try something cheaper, like bribing poor people that fight as they see no alternative - and by all accounts there's a lot of those folks - or we can keep doing what has failed for over 10 years...

Or, we could do what Americans refuse to even think about: put millions of troops on the ground with a 20 year commitment, so that ISIS knows they can't wait us out.

And sure, we'll have to do that in places like - Russia. Because there's ISIS all over the Caucasus... can't bomb them

Etc., etc.

Random bombs that accomplish nothing but making some defence contractor rich are not a solution.

[maxsolomon]

48. "we've not only lost Iraq to militants then Iran, and god knows how that'll end up"

I do not understand this sentence.

"We" lost Iran? "We" lost Iraq to militants? Which militants? Daesh? The Mahdi Army?

[lies]

49. You've misread it

We lost Iraq to militants.
Then we lost it to Iran.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/iran-iraq-pushed-out_us_55ea3353e4b03784e27603d0

And no one knows who will be in control of Iraq in 10 years.

[Cattledog]

8. Your cost is off. Each MOAB costs 16 million.

One MOAB costs about $16 million, and 20 have been produced, according to the military equipment site Deagel.com.

The number heavily cited across social media, $314 million, was how much the US military paid for 20 such bombs, technically called the Massive Ordnance Air Blast.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-does-moab-bomb-cost-mother-of-all-bombs-2017-4

[lies]

14. Ahhh

Well in that case it's practically free.

[sl8]

73. $170,000 each, per the updated Business Insider article. n/t

[Sunlei]

40. Last "big kill" the failed raid, Republicans called the Moms carrying babies "fighters".

This "36" kills, IMO were 36 Moms and Dads and all their uncounted children.

[HoneyBadger]

42. Same in Vietnam

Dead baby? Nope, DEAD VIET CONG!!!

[Fred Sanders]

5. How did these so-called officials do the body count?

Did ISIS phone it in? Pure BS so Trump can cover for fact this just blew up some more dirt.
Only the same folk that believed in the Iraq war lies can believe anything this corrupt administration and salivating military claim.

[Sunlei]

41. IMO,36 adults were holed up in the ancient caves & rather than wait them out, they flattened area.

[sprinkleeninow]

62. What you said and then some. eom

[Baconator]

71. You watch from overhead for X time...

... And count how many are there and then conduct BDA afterwards to see if anyone walks away.

This isn't a bustling metropolis.

[KewlKat]

7. As destructive as the bomb has been promoted, how would they find anything left to count?

Perhaps the Con and Muther Ru$$ia phoned them to let them know the bomb was coming?

Maybe the bomb was reaching it's expiration date since they've been laying around awhile and they needed to use it?

[ColemanMaskell]

9. Sounds like the objective was to destroy the tunnels, not to kill enemy fighters

Also, the decision was made by the military commander on the ground, according to reports. Trump had given the military commanders permission to make that kind of decision on their own. He is of course claiming credit for it, as he does for so many things, but it was apparently not his idea. I would trust the judgment of the military commanders more than his in this case.

The idea of paying people not to fight is not well thought out. The people could (and many would probably) just take the money and use it to finance further fighting. Moreover, seeing the payouts would likely inspire many other people to sign up in hopes of getting similar bonanzas.

If they had used this bomb on that airport, the airport would presumably have been out of commission for a while.

The idea of destroying networks of tunnels and similar facilities seems like a sound approach to me.

Apparently Obama thought we should be fighting ISIS. His judgement I would trust on this. So this is just carrying on the fight, though with more expensive munitions -- an expense the Republicans can get away with more easily than Dems could.

[HoneyBadger]

11. When do you expense the cost of a bomb?

No money down?

When you order it or when you blow it up? It would be interesting if we did not have to pay for it until we use it like a hotel room.

[colbertforpresident]

28. Isis in Afghanistan????

I thought it was the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Isis in Iraq? is every Muslim fighter Isis now? Is that what they have to call them to get the support of the American people? This bomb dropping seems to have been for show.

[xor]

59. I recall hearing about some ISIS in Afghanistan a couple years ago

They were in conflict with the Taliban. There were similar stories about ISIS in the west bank and gaza too, and they were essentially fighting the current powers/group to gain a foothold. Haven't heard much about any of those since then, though. Probably not easy to be the guys who everyone wants to take out.


[link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant_%E2%80%93_Khorasan_Province|

[Baconator]

72. They picked a cozy corner on the border...

... And set up shop in Nangarhar a few years ago.

[ColemanMaskell]

10. And the $314 million was the cost for 20 such bombs, apparently. $16 million per each.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-does-moab-bomb-cost-mother-of-all-bombs-2017-4


. . . the number heavily cited across social media, $314 million, was how much the US military paid for 20 such bombs, technically called the Massive Ordnance Air Blast.

The US Air Force dropped one MOAB — the largest nonnuclear bomb in the US's arsenal — on an ISIS target in a remote part of far northeast Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the goal was to destroy "a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters used to move around freely, making it easier for them to target US military advisers and Afghan forces in the area."

One MOAB costs about $16 million, and 20 have been produced, according to the military equipment site Deagel.com.

[Sunlei]

12. The caves that have been used for centuries where the Buddha spoke?

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.




Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.




Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

[They_Live]

37. oh no.

Is that what we just bombed? Awful.

those quotes are perfect.

[Sunlei]

38. doesn't seem like 'the bomb' authorized by 'the president' was a precision strike.

That entire area has been used for many centuries.

IMO, the Unfit Republican is bored-wanted to play with his power & wreck something- and so it was.

[Thor_MN]

69. When the blast radius is a mile, having laser guiding is kind of Wile E Coyote...

The circular error probable of a MOAB isn't that important, but it is laser guided because it can be, and it added revevune to the manufacturer...

[xor]

61. Kanheri-cave-90.jpg

That is Kanheri-cave-90.jpg which suggests that is a cave in Sanjay Gandhi National Park - Which is in India.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanheri_Caves

I'm all for questioning the efficacy, value, and motive of this strike, but I don't think we need to just make stuff up.

[Sunlei]

66. Entire mountians are full of caves, carved rock caverns. centuries of trade & use.

[EX500rider]

70. Doesn't mean this one was.

Afghanistan is mostly mountains.

[Chemisse]

13. I'm sure Trump is pleased, and soaking up the approval. But,

How does he top that? There's only one way for him to go and that is the nuclear bomb.

[leftynyc]

15. And with North Korea

expected to have another nuclear test today or tomorrow, that REALLY worries me. Apparently they like to have a show of "strength" on their holiday that commemorates something or other. That we would preemptively strike chills me.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-may-launch-strike-if-north-korea-reaches-nuclear-n746366

[HoneyBadger]

43. They seem to have walked back the nuclear bomb test

Dear Leader did a ribbon cutting at a new apartment complex instead. With foreign press attending. Seriously.

[leftynyc]

47. The anniversary is tomorrow

I'll relax on Sunday.

[HoneyBadger]

67. They displayed some new missile hardware

There seems to be some skepticism about how functional it is. Given their cockeyed optimism.

[Luka Boyd]

17. That was my thought

Where does he go when he realizes this didn't work? How does he go bigger?

[oberliner]

16. Are you saying it would've been better if more people were killed?

I'm not sure that's the best measure for whether or not this was a wise move.

[leftynyc]

18. Since we're talking about isis

and this was a very remote area where I was told there were 600-800 isis fighters as well as caves where they were hiding weapons, you bet I would like more of those religious freaks dead. I'm glad 36 of them wont be making women slaves anymore but so far I'm not really impressed.

[oberliner]

21. Understood

Not sure, though, that the purpose of the mission was that.

Unfortunately, we do not have anyone in place who can actually inform us as to what is going on.

Clearly this was an action that Trump had little to nothing to do with (and has little to no understanding of), because from everything that I've read, this was a move that the military folks were pushing under Obama as well.

[leftynyc]

25. CNN made a point this morning

that donnie wont say he authorized THIS particular mission. I got the feeling the military made the decision after he gave them a wide berth. Given the area that was hit, I'm not sure we'll ever know the entire truth of the extent of damage.

[WinkyDink]

34. What do you suppose the point of the bombing was, then? To prompt negotiations?

[oberliner]

35. Destroy tunnels?

Here what the Afghan ambassador said:

The US and Afghan forces were unable to advance because ISIS had mined the area with explosives, so the bomb was dropped to clear the tunnels, Mohib said.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/politics/afghanistan-isis-moab-bomb/

[HoneyBadger]

46. Yes, the tunnels are now "clear"

Reminds me of the "dishes are done"


https://m.

[duncang]

65. As per a early report

Curiosity. And yep there were other reasons but since the bomb had never been used in a real situation they planned to get there and do detailed analysis for possible future strikes.

[ananda]

19. Details details

But it was tremendous, a yuugge success, the mother
of all bombs!

Truth, 45 is not a man for details and strategies that
would actually succeed, the way Obama was.

Too bad. He could very well go nuclear now that he's
gotten away with the airstrikes and the moab bomb.

[Vinca]

20. So what's that shake out to? Half a million per fighter?

At this rate we'll go bankrupt before Trump exceeds Obama's travel budget.

[ProfessorGAC]

32. So Much For Running Gov't Like A Business, Huh?

ROI and cost effectiveness are issues every business considers. This is pretty cost inefficient and a poor ROI.

As we expected, we cannot run government like a business.

[tazkcmo]

53. pshaaaw

Once we're done pulling the gold from the corpses teeth, we'll be in the black! Don't forget about re-purposing what ever else is laying around. Then there's the movie rights and just think of all the marketing possibilities!

I'm getting all tingly. I better sit down...













sarcasm

[not fooled]

60. What he's actually doing

is running the govt like a 3-ring circus.

Distraction and stunts.

Information from dump biographers and business associates long ago revealed that he couldn't even run the dump org, i.e. of course the idea that he was a successful businessman is a fraud like everything else about him. He got by because of capable employees.

[INdemo]

22. There is something wrong with this info..I mean How did they

get a body count this soon underneath all that rubble?
Does the Trump officials think we are all they stupid? Well the deplorables no doubt are and eat this shit up but I dont believe these numbers and am curious as to how they got them

[sprinkleeninow]

63. My thoughts completely.

The know-nothings will lap up this rubbish from their major fraud.

[tclambert]

23. The Russians claim to have a bomb four times more powerful called the Father of All Bombs.

Seriously.

[leftynyc]

26. Humans have spent the

whole expanse of history in finding "better" weapons to kill each other.

[HoneyBadger]

44. My SNL prediction

The Drunk Uncle of All Bombs

[LittleBlue]

54. The Russians claim a lot of things and frankly just look desperate

The MOAB is a well designed weapon with a specific purpose, not some supersized, inefficient show pony designed to one-up a far greater power among internet trolls.

[matt819]

24. And a recruiting tool for scores more

Isis is not a place. It's not tunnels in Afghanistan or villages in Syria or Iraq. It's a mission, a vision, however twisted. drop the other bombs and it will make little difference.

No. I don't have another solution.

[LittleBlue]

55. I have a solution

Those who join ISIS, kill them. And those who support ISIS financially, kill them too. Keep killing until there's no one left who wishes to die. Kill them in ways that makes potential recruits so afraid to join that it stops. It largely worked with Al Qaeda, who are severely diminished.

Let them recruit and send them to Afghanistan/Syria where we can keep killing them on the battlefield, it will thin out the morons and monsters among the human race.

[matt819]

57. Look at Britain and Northern Ireland

They kept killing each other for 70 years. Didn't sway the British and didn't dissuade Northern Ireland Catholics from continuing the fight.

So, keep up the killing. There's more where they came from.

[LittleBlue]

58. That conflict was ended with the Good Friday Agreement

With ISIS there is no compromise, unless you're willing to submit to them, convert to Islam and start attacking non-Muslim countries at their direction.

We all but destroyed Al Qaeda, we'll do it with ISIS. We have more bombs and bullets than they have fools willing to die, and die they will.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

27. BBC Reporting the MOABs creates an earthquake effect

So the earthquake effect would have rather far reaching effects on the underground tunnels.

Thanks for posting the article.

[Greensix1]

29. Sixteen million dollar kill

According to the news the bomb cost $300 Million+ to design, and $16 Million a piece to build. Plus the cost of the C-130 to deliver it. So, $16 million to kill 36 ISIS fighters, MAYBE. Did the White House tell the Russians they were going to bomb like they did in Syria? Was ISIS warned by the Ruskies? Maybe No one was killed. This was not a spur of the moment bombing. It took a Long time to approve, and get the weapon in place to deliver it. ISIS had plenty of time to take their troops out of harm's way. What a total waste of money. I would expect hundreds of dead ISIS for $16 million, not 36. Trump said the military didn't know what it was doing under Obama. Doesn't look like much an improvement under his "leadership". In fact, it looks like it's being run by complete amateurs. Maybe Trump doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Is that a possibility??

[HoneyBadger]

45. The bomb has been nearby for 10 years

I do not get the impression that it was a secret. Perhaps the enemy built a bomb shelter in tbat time

[AJT]

30. Maybe testing to see if the bomb would destroy the NK nuclear

test site, which will be in a tunnel?

[Bengus81]

31. So you'd need to drop all 20 to kill 800 of them? That would be $314M if the figures are right..

Trump going to bill surrounding Countries for their part of the cost??

[WinkyDink]

33. Seems like a gigantic lot for a tiny, tiny little.

[heaven05]

36. no bang for the buck

this time from boy-potus who bannon is allowing to play with his 'toys'. These 'leaders' of the free world don't want free, they want submissive or dead.

[dalton99a]

39. Tiny Hands loves big toys that go boom on people

[czarjak]

50. Getting there...

1,700,000,000
- 36=?

[onecent]

51. What a waste for such a Bomb...when it only kills 36 militants....don't ya think?

[tazkcmo]

52. so

That's roughly $500k/ISIS fighter. Maybe next time we can find a coupon first?

[Thomas Hurt]

56. Sounds like our master businessman, Dear Leader, got a shitty ROI....

[HoneyBadger]

68. 90 something now dead

The strike using the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, was carried out Thursday against an Islamic State group tunnel complex carved into the mountains that Afghan forces had tried to assault repeatedly in recent weeks in fierce fighting in Nangarhar province.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said Friday there was "close coordination" between the U.S. military and the Afghan government on the operation, and they were careful to prevent any civilian casualties.