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,” 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. “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.
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- The Fight to Save the Salmon
- Inside the World of Black Bitcoin, Where Crypto Is About Making More Than Just Money
- The 'Great Resignation' Is Finally Getting Companies to Take Burnout Seriously. Is It Enough?
- Suddenly, Everyone on TV Is Very Rich or Very Poor. What Happened?
- Colin Powell Reflects on His Mistakes in Unpublished TIME Interview
- Business Travel's Demise Could Have Far-Reaching Consequences
- If the U.S. Spends Big on Climate, the Rest of the World Might Follow
Read More From TIME
