--- title: The Mother of All Bombs: Video from Afghanistan description: The United States dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat on Afghanistab. The Pentagon released a video. canonical: https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-14T12:48:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:45:48.773Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Pentagon Released Video of 'The Mother of All Bombs' in Afghanistan og:description: The bomb had never been used in combat before og:url: https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64c797141689634a/6988c2b086f68e4ac66e43e3/ap_17103619556578.jpg?branch=production&width=572&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 572 og:image:height: 322 og:image:alt: United-States-Afghanistan-GBU-43B-bomb og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Pentagon Released Video of 'The Mother of All Bombs' in Afghanistan twitter:description: The bomb had never been used in combat before twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64c797141689634a/6988c2b086f68e4ac66e43e3/ap_17103619556578.jpg?branch=production&width=572&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Pentagon Just Released Video of 'The Mother of All Bombs' in Afghanistan > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f1438c59-1c61-4884-b483-e35ed6fd6ee2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f1438c59-1c61-4884-b483-e35ed6fd6ee2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=f1438c59-1c61-4884-b483-e35ed6fd6ee2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f1438c59-1c61-4884-b483-e35ed6fd6ee2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: "The Mother Of All Bombs" Drop on Afghanistan [Watch (HLS stream): "The Mother Of All Bombs" Drop on Afghanistan](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iKPG0EOv.m3u8) (0:25)  _Published 2017-04-14. The United States dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat on Afghanistan this week. The Pentagon just released a video of the explosion._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 14, 2017 12:48 PM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 14, 2017 12:48 PM UTC The United States dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat on Afghanistan this week. The Pentagon just released a video of the explosion. “[The mother of all bombs](http://time.com/4739302/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-what-is-that/?iid=sr-link1),” officially called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), struck an ISIS tunnel complex in eastern Afghanistan Thursday. “What it does is basically suck out all of the oxygen and lights the air on fire,” Bill Roggio, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told [_Air Force Times_](https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/military-gbu-43-moab-bomb-dropped-in-afghanistan). “It’s a way to get into areas where conventional bombs can’t reach.” The bomb had never been used in combat before. Watch the video of the blast above. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/"},"headline":"The Pentagon Just Released Video of 'The Mother of All Bombs' in Afghanistan","datePublished":"2017-04-14T12:48:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T08:45:48.773Z","description":"The bomb had never been used in combat before","url":"https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/","keywords":["Military","Afghanistan","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64c797141689634a/6988c2b086f68e4ac66e43e3/ap_17103619556578.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64c797141689634a/6988c2b086f68e4ac66e43e3/ap_17103619556578.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"United-States-Afghanistan-GBU-43B-bomb","caption":"United States Afghanistan","creditText":"Eglin Air Force Base—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/","name":"The Pentagon Just Released Video of 'The Mother of All Bombs' in Afghanistan"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"\"The Mother Of All Bombs\" Drop on Afghanistan","description":"The United States dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat on Afghanistan this week. The Pentagon just released a video of the explosion.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/iKPG0EOv/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-04-14T12:32:38.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iKPG0EOv.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/","duration":"PT25S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4739882/mother-of-all-bombs-afghanistan-video/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```