Huge explosion hits front lines north of Kabul

The Associated Press ^ | 10/30/2001 5:20 am ET | The Associated Press

[mdittmar]

JABAL SARAJ, Afghanistan (AP) A huge explosion hit the Bagram front lines about 25 miles north of Kabul on Tuesday, sending up a mushroom cloud that billowed at least 1,000 feet into the air.

The origin of the explosion was not immediately clear, since there were no airplanes immediately overhead. However, U.S. planes had roared in the skies over the front lines north of the capital throughout the morning and early afternoon Tuesday.

It was also not clear what positions had been hit by the blast and how extensive the damage was.

[ChromeDome]

A fuel air explosive is an aresol explosive. The bomb creates a very fine mist of a combustible fuel.
The mist mixes with the oxygen in the atmosphere (very well since the aresol is very fine). Then it is ignited.
Large concussion from air expansion from the momentary intense heat.

ChromeDome

[Jimmy Valentine]

Oh,oh! Better call Joe biden. He'll want to know all about this I'll bet.,.

[KQQL]

The taliban probably blew themselves, I guess they couldn't wait for the virgins anymore.

[JustAmy]

Thanks, All!!!

[jporcus]

I assume this blew near the enemy's line (i.e., Bagram)?

[Movemout]

I hadn't heard anybody mention Davy Crockett since the early 70s when they were abandoned, allegedly for being as dangerous to our guys as the enemy.

[mdittmar]

From your link:

FAE was primarily useful as a psychological weapon.

I imagine watching the towelibans next to you burst into flame might have a tendency to cause a little "psychological damage".

[error99]

[niteowl77]

"Huge" is such a quantitative term (LOL!) but it appears as precise as the rest of the piece. For all we know, Mohammed Al-Handi tripped in the tunnel and dropped his box of grenades onto a pile of RPG's, but I suppose it is more exciting if we all speculate on something nuclear. But why not... the press has apparently been reduced to the wartime equivalent of watching grass grow in the back yard, even when the fact that grass grows isn't necessarily newsworthy.

After the last two days, perspective has become a precious commodity on FR- don't let AP, Reuters and the UK press make hyperbole your yardstick. Go outside, pace off 1000 feet, and then contemplate reality.

Ed

[leadpenny]

....allegedly for being as dangerous to our guys as the enemy.

That's what I kind of figured. Almost got suckered into serving in one of the glorified mortar platoons in the '60's.

[Movemout]

FAEs can be delivered by helicopter as well as airplanes.

[patriciaruth]

PING.

[KSCITYBOY]

Don't these bombs also suck all the air out of the area. Great weapon for killing a large gathering of troops.

[leadpenny]

Ouch! That would leave a bruise.

[Blueflag]

Thanks, Ed. 1000' (if reported accurately) is NOT very high. Most high-heat explosions at ground level will produce a 'mushroom' cloud.

Another scenario is that sappers ID'd and then touched off a weapons/ammo cache, but then there'd be secondaries (like fireworks) going off. Also fuel tends to burn for a while after being set on fire by a detonation.

As usual, the highly skilled media on the scene have likely not reported well, and we now have noe REAL idea what happened.

[gogov]

Hate to sound stupid but what is a Fuel Air Explosion? Maybe I don't sound stupid, maybe I just am. ;^)

You don't sound stupid. You are not stupid. But you sure look funny ;^)

[Movemout]

"Almost got suckered into serving in one of the glorified mortar platoons in the '60's. "

I don't know about being suckered into serving but I was assigned to one of those glorified mortar platoons in the 70s.

[Movemout]

"Don't these bombs also suck all the air out of the area. Great weapon for killing a large gathering of troops. "

They tend to rupture your diaphram (sp?)as you cower in your bunker or trench with devastating physical effects. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Sheer terror! Too bad for the Talitubbies.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Good point. 1,000 feet is less than the height of the World Trade Center. I suspect this type of ordinance (whatever it was) has been used many, many times over the past 3 weeks but this one just happened to be close enough to a journalist to get reported.

I do hope it found it's way into Taliban ammo storage.