36 IS militants killed in Trump's massive bomb strike in Afghanistan

US President Donald Trump hailed the strike as 'very successful'

At least 36 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed by the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, or MOAB, which the US dropped on a tunnel complex of the terrorist group in Afghanistan on Thursday, Afghan officials said on Friday. 

They ruled out any civilian casualties.

"As a result of the bombing, key Daesh (IS) hideouts and deep tunnel complex were destroyed and 36 IS fighters were killed," the defence ministry stated about Thursday's strike in eastern Afghanistan.      

The US military on Thursday dropped a massive bomb, also nicknamed as the "Mother Of All Bombs", on a tunnel complex of ISIS-Khorasan, a regional affiliate of the IS terrorist group, in the Achin district of Afghanistan's Nanagarh province, close to the Pakistani border. This was the first time a MOAB was used in combat though it was developed in 2003. 

President Donald Trump has said the US military has been "successful" lately because his administration has given them "total authorisation", as he hailed the forces for dropping the largest non-nuclear bomb targeting an IS complex. "It was really another successful job, we are very proud of our military. We are so proud of our military, it was another successful event," Trump told reporters at the White House

Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump confirmed it was the first-ever combat use of the bomb.

A MOAB is a 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition that is America's most powerful non-nuclear bomb.

The bomb was dropped by an MC-130 aircraft, operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command.

The strike was designed to minimise the risk to Afghan and US Forces conducting clearing operations in the area while maximising the destruction of ISIS-K fighters and facilities.

As General John Nicholson, the head of US and international forces in Afghanistan, explained: the bomb was used against caves and bunkers housing fighters of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, also known as ISIS-K. “This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K,” Nicholson said in a statement.