Tactical decision, use of conventional overcrowding says commander of US forces in Afghanistan

Gen. John Nicholson, commander of US military forces in Afghanistan, said today that the decision to launch one of the largest conventional bombs available to the US arsenal was taken after communications with officials in Washington while it was clear for a tactical decision.

It was the right weapon for the right target, the general told reporters.

The 9,797-kilometer GBU-43 bomb was left by a MC-130 aircraft in the Ahin district in Nangarhar province in the east of Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. The bomb has hit a network of underground tunnels using fighters linked to the Islamic State, according to estimates by Afghan and US officials.

Since the bomb exploded, 36 jihadists were killed who were loyal to the Islamic State.

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