2001 War in Afghanistan

GBU-43/B MOAB in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

The GBU-43/B MOAB was used by U.S. Forces Afghanistan on April 13, 2017, in a strike against an ISIS-K cave and tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar Province.

Weapon profileGBU-43/B MOAB
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire SupportFrontline Assault
GBU-43/B MOAB, GPS/INS-guided massive ordnance air blast bomb, Munitions - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: Mother of all Bombs

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Forces Afghanistan used a GBU-43/B MOAB in the 2001 War in Afghanistan on April 13, 2017.

Sources: DOD Khorasan Stronghold Release, CENTCOM Khorasan Stronghold Release, DVIDS MOAB Strike Video

The strike was in Achin district, Nangarhar Province, and targeted ISIS-K cave and tunnel systems.

Sources: DOD Khorasan Stronghold Release, DVIDS MOAB Strike Video, Lead IG OFS Apr-Jun 2017

The strike was connected to U.S. and Afghan operations against ISIS-K during Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Sources: Lead IG OFS Apr-Jun 2017

Timeline

GBU-43/B MOAB In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. MOAB strike in Achin district

    U.S. Forces Afghanistan dropped a GBU-43/B MOAB on an ISIS-K cave and tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar Province, at 7:32 p.m. local time.

    Sources: DOD Khorasan Stronghold Release, DVIDS MOAB Strike Video

  2. Follow-on raid in Achin district

    U.S. and Afghan special operations forces later attacked ISIS-K headquarters in Nangarhar Province, killing ISIS-K leader Sheikh Abdul Hasib and other fighters.

    Sources: Lead IG OFS Apr-Jun 2017

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

U.S. Forces Afghanistan used a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb at 7:32 p.m. local time on April 13, 2017, against an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan cave and tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar Province. The U.S. Department of Defense release identified the munition and said it was dropped from a U.S. aircraft during operations to defeat ISIS-K in Afghanistan.

DVIDS published Department of Defense video of the strike, describing a GBU-43/B MOAB hitting ISIS-K cave and tunnel systems in Achin district at the same time and date. The official caption tied the strike to Afghan and U.S. clearing operations in the area.

Sources: DOD Khorasan Stronghold Release, DVIDS MOAB Strike Video

Timeline

The strike occurred during the Operation Freedom's Sentinel phase of the war, when U.S. forces conducted counterterrorism operations against ISIS-K while supporting Afghan security forces. The Lead Inspector General report for April-June 2017 described U.S. and Afghan attacks against ISIS-K in Nangarhar and listed the April 13 MOAB strike as a key event.

On April 27, 2017, U.S. and Afghan special operations forces carried out a further raid in Achin district that killed ISIS-K leader Sheikh Abdul Hasib and other fighters, according to the same oversight report. That follow-on operation is useful context for the campaign sequence but is separate from the MOAB strike itself.

Sources: Lead IG OFS Apr-Jun 2017

Operational role

The documented role of the MOAB in Afghanistan was a single large air-delivered strike against a fixed militant cave and tunnel system. U.S. Forces Afghanistan said ISIS-K had been using improvised bombs, bunkers, and tunnels to strengthen its defense, and Gen. John W. Nicholson described the munition as selected to reduce those obstacles and maintain the offensive's momentum.

Official sources framed the strike as support for Afghan and U.S. clearing operations rather than a transfer, captured-use event, or Afghan-operated weapon. The available official record supports U.S. use against ISIS-K facilities in Nangarhar; it does not document repeated combat use of the GBU-43/B elsewhere in the 2001 War in Afghanistan.

Sources: DOD Khorasan Stronghold Release, CENTCOM Khorasan Stronghold Release, Lead IG OFS Apr-Jun 2017

Videos

GBU-43/B MOAB In 2001 War in Afghanistan

Images

Conflict Context

Aerial image from the April 2017 MOAB strike in Afghanistan
DVIDS image from aerial footage of a GBU-43/B MOAB strike on ISIS-K cave and tunnel systems in Achin district, Nangarhar Province.

Sources: DVIDS MOAB Strike Image

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Sources