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A Revolutionary New Bomb
Sunday, March 3, 2002
Scripps Howard News

After a hastily called test firing Dec. 14 in Nevada, an undisclosed number of the bombs -- whose cost the Pentagon has yet to reveal -- were whisked to Afghanistan, where Taliban and al Qaeda fighters have shown an affinity for using caves to hide weapons, ammunition and troops.

For the first time in combat, America has lobbed a still-experimental bomb so fierce it can crush an enemy's internal organs as he hides far beneath the surface of the earth.

U.S. military officials said American bombers dropped two of the little-tested munitions Saturday in the rough mountains of eastern Afghanistan, where U.S. and allied fighters are locked in a new ground offensive against Taliban and al Qaeda forces.

Pentagon officials gave no indication Sunday of the effectiveness of the bombs, which struck near Gardez, about 95 miles south of the capital Kabul.

As heavy as a Volkswagen, these "thermobaric" bombs are designed to suck the oxygen out of a cave or tunnel, killing even earthworms deep underground. Though the blasts are believed capable as well of wrecking sensitive equipment and destroying chemical weapons beyond the reach of conventional bombs, they are designed to leave the subterranean structure intact so it can later be searched.
(More: Military Advantage News Source)
2002 © Scripps Howard News Service.

Dan