| 2017 Nangarhar airstrike | |
|---|---|
| Part of theWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | |
 Aerial footage of theMOAB strikingAchin District, Afghanistan. | |
| Type | Airstrike,MOAB strike |
| Location | Achin District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan 34°04′24″N70°37′52″E / 34.07333°N 70.63111°E /34.07333; 70.63111 |
| Commanded by | John Nicholson |
| Target | Tunnels being used byIslamic State – Khorasan Province |
| Date | 13 April 2017; 8 years ago (2017-04-13) 7:32 PM (UTC+04:30) |
| Executed by |   United States Air Force |
| Casualties | 96 ISIL-K militants[1][2] and 2 civilians (allegedly) |
  Airstrike site Location of Achin district in Afghanistan | |
On 13 April 2017, the United States conducted anairstrike inAchin District,[3] located in theNangarhar Province of eastern Afghanistan, nearthe border withPakistan.[4] The airstrike was carried out using the largest non-nuclear weapon in the United States' arsenal, theGBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), with the goal of destroying tunnel complexes used by theIslamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP).[5][6][7]
The bomb was dropped from the rear cargo door of aUnited States Air ForceLockheed MC-130. On 15 April 2017, Afghan officials reported that 96 IS-KP militants, including four commanders, were killed in the strike;[8] this included Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino nationals.[9] According to an Afghan Army official, there were no civilian casualties.[10]
TheIslamic State of Iraq and Syria announced the establishment of its Khorasan branch in January 2015, which was the first time the group had officially spread outside theArab world.[11] A few days before the airstrike,U.S. Army Special ForcesStaff Sergeant Mark R. De Alencar was mortally wounded bysmall-arms fire in Nangarhar.[12]
APentagon spokesman stated that the MOAB had been brought to Afghanistan "some time ago" to strike the Islamic State stronghold in Nangarhar, located near theAfghan–Pakistani border.[5] The US military found the border regions difficult to control as the Islamic State began developing on the Afghan side.[13] David Martin,CBS News national security correspondent, said that planning began during theObama administration. Permission to use the MOAB was obtained by the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, GeneralJohn Nicholson, although it was unclear how far up thechain of command his request traveled.[5]
TheArmy Times reported that the airstrike was part of Operation Hamza, a joint US/Afghan government operation to "flush" the Islamic State from its stronghold in eastern Afghanistan, engaging in regular ground battles.[14]Stars and Stripes reported that General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for theMinistry of Defence, said that for four weeks before the bombing, theAfghan National Army Commando Corps attempted to penetrate the area without success, because of the difficult terrain andimprovised explosive device (IEDs) planted by Islamic State militants.[8]
The strike aimed to destroy tunnels being used by the Islamic State inNangarhar Province,[5] which theCIA originally built forIslamic Unity of Afghanistan Mujahideen fighters in the 1980s.[15][16]
The GBU-43/B MOAB is a 9,800 kg (21,600 lbs), GPS-guided bomb, the most powerful conventional bomb in the US military's arsenal. It was first tested in March 2003, just days before the start of theIraq War[17] and is an evolutionary follow-up to the 6,800 kgBLU-82 "Daisy Cutters".
The MOAB is not apenetrator weapon and is primarily intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas and targets in a contained environment such as a deep canyon or within a cave system.[18] The U.S. military has targeted similar complexes and dropped tens of thousands of bombs in Afghanistan. According toBarbara Starr, it is a "weapon that would be used against a large footprint on the ground".[13]
The blast detonated at 7:32 pm local time in the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, according to the U.S. military.[19]It was reported byThe Guardian that "a local security official said they had requested a large strike becausefighter jets anddrones had failed to destroy the tunnel complex". According to the district chief of Achin, Ismail Shinwari, "the strike was closely coordinated withAfghan soldiers and special forces, andtribal elders had been informed to evacuatecivilians.[3]
TheGuardian reported that following the strike, US and Afghan forces conducted clearing operations and airstrikes in the area and assessed the damage.[20]
Casualty figures were initially reported as 36[19] but increased over the following days as reconnaissance units investigated the site. On 14 April, a local government spokesman and police commander told Afghan media that 82 militants had been killed.[21] Achin District governor Esmail Shinwari told AFP that at least 92 ISIL fighters were killed in the bombing.[22] On 15 April 2017,Stars and Stripes reported that 94 ISIS-K militants, including 4 commanders were killed in the strike.[8] An Afghan army spokesman said after the strike there were no signs of civilian casualties.[8] However, an Afghan parliamentarian from Nangarhar province, Esmatullah Shinwari, said locals told him the explosion killed a teacher and his young son.[23][24]
On 18 April 2017, one senior Afghan security official said the bomb killed 96 Islamic State militants, among them 13 major commanders.[2]
According to the Afghan defence ministry,[17] fighters supposedly loyal to "ISIS Khorasan Province" were among those killed in the attack. Presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi told Media that IS commanderSiddiq Yar was among those killed. According to Murtazawi, the fighters in the tunnels were active in the border regions and were persecuting people in the local area.[25] Afghan officials confirmed that foreign militants, including 13Indians, were also killed in the bombing.[26][27] The Ministry spokesman also stated that no civilians were killed.[28] The ISIS-supportingAmaq News Agency issued a statement denying that any ISIS casualties resulted from the airstrike.[29]
No immediate reports of civilian casualties were available; however as of 14 April local authorities said the fighting had prevented them from visiting the bomb site near the village of Shodal near the Pakistani border.[30][31][28] A local parliamentarian, Esmatullah Shinwari, said that locals had told him that one teacher and his young son had been killed.[19][3] Buildings in the settlement ofShaddle Bazar, 1.5 miles away, suffered damage from the blast.[19]
Stars and Stripes reported that General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said that since the strike, the offensive operation in the area was resumed.[8] A BBC reporter confirmed this on 27 April 2017, and reported that an Afghan officer had said there were hundreds of similar caves in the area. The Afghan officer also said that trees 100 metres from the impact point had remained standing.[32]
ISIS denied that any of its fighters were killed or injured.[33]
On 27 April, two US Special Operations personnel[34] were killed fighting Islamic State in Nangarhar region near where the MOAB was dropped.[35][36] A third U.S. service member was wounded in the fight.
Afghan president,Ashraf Ghani, said the strike was "designed to support the efforts of theAfghan National Security Forces (ANSF)" and "precautions were taken to avoidcivilian casualties",[37] and Afghanistan'schief executive,Dr. Abdullah, similarly said the bombing was conducted in coordination with Afghan forces and that theAfghan government "took great care to avoid civilian harm".[30]
However, Afghanistan's former presidentHamid Karzai condemned the attacks in a series of tweets saying "This is not thewar on terror but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as testing ground for new and dangerous weapons."[5]
The mayor of Achin, Naweed Shinwari said, "There is no doubt that ISIS are brutal and that they have committed atrocities against our people. But I don't see why the bomb was dropped."[3] TheAfghan ambassador to Pakistan inIslamabad,Omar Zakhilwal, echoed this sentiment stating that the airstrike was "reprehensible and counterproductive".[3]
United States PresidentDonald Trump did not say whether he specifically authorized the use of the MOAB, simply remarking he has given the military "total authorization"[38] and praising the US military as the greatest in the world: "We have given them total authorization and that's what they're doing and frankly that's why they've been so successful lately".[39] Regardless of intent, the MOAB's deployment was widely interpreted as a form of war propaganda.[40] Deputy assistant to the PresidentSebastian Gorka, in an interview said that the local commander overseeing operations in the Achin district was able to make the choice to use the MOAB on his own authority.[41]John W. Nicholson Jr., commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and theResolute Support Mission, said in a statement that, "As ISIS-K's losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense. This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K."[19] Conservative politicians and commentators showed support for Trump's use of the MOAB, includingLindsey Graham,Jim Inhofe, andPat Buchanan.[42][43]
