36 ISIS terrorists killed in 'mother of all bombs' attack: US government

KABUL, Afghanistan: The attack on a tunnel complex in remote eastern Afghanistan with the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the U.S. military left 36 Islamic State group fighters dead and no civilian casualties, Afghanistan officials said Friday. The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that several IS caves and ammunition caches were destroyed. "I want a hundred times more bombings on this group," said Hakim Khan, 50, a resident of Achin district in Nangarhar province where the bombing took place. The U.S. military headquarters in Kabul said the bomb was dropped at about 7:30 p.m. local time Thursday on a tunnel complex Nangarhar, where the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group has been operating. The target was close to the Pakistani border and some Pakistan residents nearby said they heard the explosion. The U.S. estimates 600 to 800 IS fighters are present in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar. The U.S. has concentrated heavily on combatting them while also supporting Afghan forces battling the Taliban. President Donald Trump called the operation a "very, very successful mission." The bomb, known officially as a GBU-43B, or massive ordnance air blast weapon, unleashes 11 tons of explosives. Inamullah Meyakhil, spokesman for the central hospital in eastern Nangarhar province, said the facility had received no dead or wounded from the attack. District Gov. Ismail Shinwari said there is no civilian property near the airstrike location.