US Military Using Afghanistan As Testing Ground For New And Deangerous Weapons: Karzai

Afghanistan’s former President Hamid Karzai has accused the US of using Afghanistan as "a testing ground for new and dangerous weapons”, after Washington dropped the most powerful non-nulcear bomb in Achin district killing 94 Islamic State (IS) fighters Friday.

The US used a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed the "mother of all bombs" as part of its operations in Afghanistan that killed at least 94 Islamic State fighters, CNN reported Saturday.

"The number of Daesh (IS) fighters killed in the US bomb in Achin district jumped to 94, including four commanders," Nangarhar provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogiani told CNN.

"Our team is in the area and they are doing clearance, so the figure might change as they find more bodies," said Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

The initial toll given by Afghan officials for Thursday's strike was 36. A statement released Friday through ISIS' media wing, Amaq News Agency, said none of the terror group's fighters were killed or injured. CNN cannot independently confirm the number of casualties.

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed the "mother of all bombs" for its extraordinary force, was dropped at 7:32 p.m. local time Thursday, according to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission.

The strike targeted a network of fortified underground tunnels that ISIS had been using to stage attacks on government forces in Nangarhar province, near the Pakistan border.

The blast destroyed three underground tunnels as well as weapons and ammunition, but no civilians were hurt, Afghan and US officials said.

The 30-foot-long, GPS-guided bomb is capable of destroying an area equivalent to nine city blocks.

"This was the right weapon against the right target," Gen. John Nicholson, commander for US forces in Afghanistan, said at a news conference.

"It was the right time to use it tactically against the right target on the battlefield."