The U.S. military has dropped a Massive Ordanance Air Blast Bomb—nicknamed the "Mother of All Bombs" or MOAB for short—in an attempted attack on ISIS in Afghanistan.
This is the first time in U.S. military history that the use of a MOAB has been authorized in combat, according to U.S. officials. Developed during the Iraq War, the MOAB is a 21,600 pound bomb and is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the military's arsenal.
The reported target was an ISIS tunnel and cave complex, in addition to ISIS personnel located in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed the bombing and the details at a mid-day White House briefing. In a brief statement, Spicer told reporters the Donald Trump administration believes the U.S. needs to deny ISIS "operational space" in order to defeat them:
Spicer would not confirm or deny whether President Trump authorized the use of the MOAB.
This story is developing.
