Afghan Ex-President Karzai: Trump Committed an Atrocity With Massive Bombing

MOAB Strike an Immense Atrocity Against Fellow Human Beings

While the current Afghan government tries to defend the US use of the MOAB “Mother of All Bombs” last week against the Nangarhar Province, former President Hamid Karzai was extremely critical of the action, calling it an “immense atrocity” against fellow human beings.

Karzai complained that the current government was not offering enough comment when the US commits large strikes, saying the use of the largest non-nuclear bomb in history amounted both to a violation of Afghan sovereignty, and inherent disrespect to Afghanistan’s soil and environment.

The MOAB strike was dropped in the Achin District of Nangarhar, above what the US claimed was a substantial tunnel network used by ISIS. Though there is no sign of damage done to the tunnels, and MOAB is not intended to be a penetration bomb, President Trump has heralded it as a “successful event.”

Karzai long had a difficult relationship with the US government because of his willingness to criticize US military operations, particularly those which killed civilians or generally put them at risk. Throughout the Bush and Obama Administrations, there were often discussions of getting rid of Karzai outright, though ultimately he served out his terms in office.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.