Posted on 12/10/2001 9:08:38 AM PST by dead
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States for the third time in the Afghan conflict has unleashed its most lethal ``daisy cutter'' bomb, aiming at caves where senior al Qaeda leaders, including possibly Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), were believed to be hiding out, the Pentagon (news - web sites) said on Monday.
The 15,000 pound bomb was dropped in the Tora Bora area at the weekend and fighting is still so intense in the region that the U.S. military has been unable to determine what damage was wreaked, Navy Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem told a news briefing.
``There is a psychological effect of having ammunition of 15,000 pounds of explosive capability that's brought into a very narrowly-defined area,'' said Stufflebeem, a senior official on the U.S. military's Joint Staff.
``This cave complex is literally on the sheer walls of a valley and there the reverberation effect that goes up in those caves should have some sort of negative effect,'' he said.
The bomb was dropped ``at a cave target ... it was believed that that's where some substantial al Qaeda forces would be, and possibly including senior leadership,'' he said, adding it was not known if those leaders might have included bin Laden.
I guess so - they're all deaf by now. KABOOOOOOOOOM!
Very funny."
That struck me the same way. "Hey guys, let's drop one down into this big crack and see what happens." ( Didn't I read the last week or so that there were some unusual vibrations being picked up in Sweden from the bombing in Afghanistan? Wonder what they'll say about this one?)
I heard Clinton DOD did not restock the best weapon
The Air Fuel Bombs for bunkers F***** Clinton
Sounds like something he would do.
A Retired LTC who is a demolitions expert told me not long ago when I asked why we were not using these weapons that they produce the same kind of EMI signature as a nuke, and they don't want to disrupt our ability to communicate with our friendlies.
A nuke produces electromagnetic interference that disables all radio communication near the device by damaging the solid state devices in the communication equipment. Fuel air bursts do the same, according to him.
Huge bomb attack after bin Laden sighting
The Pentagon has confirmed a 15,000lbs "Daisy-cutter" bomb has been dropped at the Tora Bora cave complex, after a reported sighting of Osama bin Laden.
US forces deployed the weapon, it's most powerful conventional bomb, due to claims senior al-Qaida leaders - including bin Laden - had been seen at a cave entrance.
Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the complex should now have been put out of use.
He said the target was being used by substantial al Qaida forces and senior leadership.
Asked if that included bin Laden, he said "yes" and added: "There are many reports that could have come from any quarters.
"Not all can be substantiated but in this case we decided to deny the cave entrance. In this case we used a bigger weapon to do that."
He said American special forces and local Afghan fighters had not yet been able to confirm if any al Qaida leaders were killed by the blast, which produced a cloud which obscured the mountains at Tora Bora for several minutes.
"It is still a hot area," said the admiral.
"So with the fighting that is going on, it is difficult to get into that area to assess the effect on the ground."
Story filed: 18:10 Monday 10th December 2001
Cool! Bin Laden, hope it knocks your teeth out, you dog!
A nuke produces electromagnetic interference that disables all radio communication near the device by damaging the solid state devices in the communication equipment. Fuel air bursts do the same, according to him.
Communications disruption following a nuclear blast is caused by two phenomena. The EMP burst of X-rays & gamma rays from the nuclear reaction itself wrecks the circuitry of exposed electronic devices. Second, the explosion is so hot it ionizes a region of the atmosphere making it opaque to radio waves.
I know FAEs are big and powerful, but I can't imagine that they get hot enough to ionize the air. There is certainly no electromagnetic pulse associated with a chemical explosion.
I still wouldn't want to be near one when it goes off. It's just fine for Osama and his ilk, though.
Ah....would that be the "Democratic Party"????
Semper Giggle
Just sorta takes one's breath away, doesn't it?
..... after their eardrums are blown out.
Excellent, we want him DEAD, and not alive.
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