Trump hails military after it drops 'mother of all bombs' on Afghanistan
WASHINGTON -- President Trump hailed the U.S. military after it dropped the "mother of all bombs," America's largest non-nuclear weapon, in Afghanistan on Thursday.
But just like last week's air strikes in Syria, Democrats are expressing outrage that Congress wasn't consulted.
RELATED: US hit Islamic State with largest non-nuclear bomb ever used
At 7 p.m. local time, the U.S. military dropped the GBU-43, marking the first time the 22,000 pound bomb had ever been used in combat.
The intended target was a series of ISIS cave complexes in the Achin District in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan.
"With the large munition, you are looking at kind of ensuring that the cave is destroyed with the first time go," Center for a New American Security's Adam Routh said.
This is the latest in the ongoing fight against ISIS. "The United States takes the fight against ISIS very seriously and in order to defeat the group must deny them operational space, which we did," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said.
RELATED: What you need to know about the 'Mother Of All Bombs
The GBU-43 is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. military's arsenal. It's so large, it has to be carried in the cargo hold of a C-130 military plane and then rolled out the back door.
This bombing comes less than a week after an American Special Forces soldier was killed during operations against the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
"The United States took all precautions necessary to prevent civilian casualties and collateral damage as a result of the operation," Spicer said.
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