President Trump declined to tell reporters on Thursday whether he directly authorized the use of a massive non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan, saying only that he “authorize[s] our military.”
But speaking at the White House, he argued there’s been a “tremendous difference” militarily between the Obama administration and the Trump administration.
Real journalism.Trusted by millions.
Unlimited access to in-depth reporting, expert analysis, and the stories that shape our country.
Already a member? Log in
“If you look at what’s happened over the last eight weeks and compare that to really what’s happened over the last eight years, you’ll see there’s a tremendous difference,” Trump said.
“And this was another very successful mission,” he added.
“Everybody knows exactly what happened. What I do, I authorized my military,” the president told reporters. “We have given them total authorization. That’s what they’re doing.”
The U.S. dropped a 21,000-pound conventional bomb, known as the GBU-43B or “Mother of All Bombs”, in Nangarhar Province around 7:20 p.m. local time on Thursday.
The bomb was supposed to target bunkers and tunnels used by Islamic State militants and came five days after a Special Forces soldier was killed by the radical Islamic terror group in Afghanistan.