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.

[randita]

FAE sounds likely if they were hitting open-field troop trenches. Covers a large area, and what it doen't kill... it terrifies.

Terrifies--yes. What I've been hearing is that so far we haven't successfully been able to terrify the Taliban troops to the point that they retreat, disperse or switch sides. I guess Rumsfeld has decided to force the issue--why now, I don't know. Perhaps everything is in place for an all-out assault on Mazar-sharif (sp?). The goal, as I understand it is to force the Taliban into the valley between Mazar-sharif and Kabul and cut off all their avenues of retreat. Maybe these bombs dropping today will have the effect of driving them northward, while the Northern Alliance takes Mazar-Sharif, thus cutting them off.

[patriciaruth]

Now this might be read by the Taliban. If it's disinformation then leave it, but if your suggested strategy is correct, you should have it pulled.

[Petronski]

They were dropped right on the Taliban front line, apparently not on bunkers or buildings, but on the opposing troops themselves.

This is as it should be, and as it should have been from day one.

[Illbay]

Yup, we just cemented our rep as "high-tech bullies."

[Movemout]

Beats the hell out of being low-tech casualties.

[ipaq2000]

I recently read about the use of BLU-82 (Big Blue) fuel-air bomb in Vietnam.(the Guardian 18/1/01) Apparently this monster was 7 tonnes in weight and could only be delivered by dumping it out of the back of a Hercules! The article I read makes some amazing claims:
1) Its effect in removing foliage made it useful in clearing land to make helicopter landing areas. 2) It was used in the Gulf War to clear minefields where it's the resulting hot air rose along with dust and sand to create a mushroom cloud effect. Apparently both SAS patrols and the Iraqi's thought it was a nuke! Then the USAF issued flyers to the Iraqis showing a picture of this explosion and the statement, "BLU-82, You're next - flee or die!"
3) Used in Vietnam to cover up use of chemical weapons because the rising air would remove traces of the chemicals in the air while the blast would remove the signs on the ground.

[Two Thirds Vote Aye]

No, as I understand it, an FAE explodes on or above ground. The shell is not really designed to penetrate. It basically explodes into a gas vapor cloud and then the gas vapor cloud is ignited by some ignition device after the cloud has had time to expand sufficiently. The burning fuel in the cloud demands oxygen and creates a vacuum for some radius around the burning cloud. So, it not only causes a horrendous fire, it also consumes all the oxygen in the near vicinity.

A bunker buster is quite different in that it actually penetrates through some amount of concrete or, as I understand it, even rock, before it explodes. After it reaches the depth it is designed to penetrate, it explodes like dynamite, not like a fuel air explosive.

[Bogey78O]

Isn't this the bomb they were talking about using in the movie "Outbreak"?

[InvisibleChurch]

Didn't the city council of berkely outlaw FAEs?

[patriciaruth]

link

[MindBender26]

Mushroom shaped clouds from exposions are nothing unusual, size is of course a magnitude bigger with nucs. This sounds far to small to be nuc.

Color is more important. Brown to white is vegitation, buildings. Black is POL, petrolium, oil, lubricants, plastics, etc. "Heavy" clouds, those that fall back to earth quickly are dirt laden, etc.

Reason cloud mushrooms is that it rises from heat. When it runs out of heat energy, it goes horizintal. The good BDA and physics types can look at cloud and calculate amount of heat generated, ergo, size of explosive agent.

[Petronski]

Speak slowly, I think he's lipreading. :)

[Movemout]

Not to criticize you personally, but what it is it with the need to relate everything to a movie? Have we been so defined by Hollywood that if we can't put an event in relation to a movie we do not understand the event? Sorry, if I offended you, but I have seen these comments on various threads and I find it puzzling.

[Andrew Byler]

sending up a mushroom cloud that billowed at least 1,000 feet into the air.

One could only hope what it ought to be.

[Two Thirds Vote Aye]

I am not the least bit concerned as to whether we terrify the Taliban and al-Qaeda. I don't care whether they suffer, whether they enjoy it, whether they are scared, whether they are happy, whether they are sad, whether they are remorseful or whether they are reveling in their 'jihad'.

I want them KILLED.

I care not in the least as to how it comes about. I don't care how long it takes. They have threatened us all with death. They are our mortal enemies. We have got to destroy them, NOW, or they are certainly going to destroy us. It is about as clear-cut of a case of a country's self defense as there can be. It is, absolutely without a doubt, either them or us.

[WaterDragon]

Most likely our guys set off something the Talitubbies were saving for us.

[BlueLancer]

"? Have we been so defined by Hollywood that if we can't put an event in relation to a movie we do not understand the event?"

I think it might be that people who didn't serve in the military and weren't exposed to seeing some of these things can visualize it better if they can refer it to what they have seen in movies or documentaries. That might be the reason that Bogey780 and others reflect situations and sights against movies they have seen.

Sorry for butting in.

[Bogey78O]

....ummm....I wasn't trying to relate it to a movie. I was just making note of it.

[Movemout]

No need to apologise for butting in. I can understand your point. Thanks for making that observation. I just found that particular behavior to be unusual. Your comment is helpful.

[Free Vulcan]

High-tech bully, fuel air bomb BUMP.