U.S. Releases Video Of MOAB Strike On ISIS Compound In Afghanistan

US Forces in Afghanistan have released aerial footage of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) strike on an Islamic State cave and tunnel systems in the Achin district on Thursday.

The footage shows the devastation of the 11-ton yield bomb. It was dropped from a MC-130 aircraft and a large mushroom cloud of smoke can be seen over the region, with a massive crater left in its wake.

The MOAB, known officially as the GBU-43/B, was first tested in 2003 but had not been used by the US since, due to concerns over possible civilian casualties. The bomb has a blast radius of 1-mile (1.6 km).

The Afghan Defense Ministry said no civilians were affected by the MOAB, and that the blast resulted in the deaths of up to 36 presumed terrorists.

“No civilian has been hurt and only the base, which Daesh [Islamic State, IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] used to launch attacks in other parts of the province, was destroyed,” Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan ministry, said.