Fox host: Dropping MOAB is “what freedom looks like, that’s the red, white, and blue.”
Geraldo: It’s one of my favorite things to watch. pic.twitter.com/E5X2lmTnSE— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) April 14, 2017
While campaigning for president, Donald Trump vowed to “bomb the sh*t out of ISIS,” and he made good on that promise on Thursday with the “Mother Of All Bombs.” The Pentagon has now released footage MOAB’s moment of impact in Afghanistan. You can watch a longer version of the clip below, but above, here’s Fox News’ broadcast of the moment (courtesy of Media Matters’ Matthew Gertz). This airing arrived with a Toby Keith soundtrack and a smiling Geraldo Rivera. Doesn’t it seem like yesterday when we were watching Rivera give away troop coordinates on live television?
He was certainly in his element on this morning’s episode of Fox and Friends. Co-host Ainsley Earhardt mentions that this is a black-and-white video, but then she recited Keith’s lyrics: “That’s what freedom looks like, that’s the red, white, and blue.” Rivera’s response? “One of my favorite things in my 16 years at Fox News is watching bombs drop on bad guys.”
Indeed, the 21,000+ pound whammy did some damage to the targeted Islamic State tunnel system. The Guardian relays word from the Afghan ministry, which says 36 ISIS fighters perished in the blast. Ministry Spokesperson Dalwat Waziri also stated, “No civilian has been hurt and only the base, which Daesh used to launch attacks in other parts of the province, was destroyed.”
One civilian, Mohammad Shahzadah, told The Guardian that the experience of hearing the MOAB while settling in for dinner was a terrifying one: “I thought my house was being bombed. Last year a drone strike targeted a house next to mine, but this time it felt like the heavens were falling.”
Following the strike, Trump told the press how proud he was after giving the military “total authorization,” unlike President Obama. He believes the last two months of newly aggressive tactics will make a “tremendous difference.” As to whether Trump believes this will send a message to North Korea as it preps for its sixth nuclear test, Trump didn’t know, but he said, “It doesn’t make any difference if it does or not. North Korea is a problem. The problem will be taken care of.” (Trump’s tweets are already sending a message.)
Here’s the longer clip of the MOAB exploding.
(Via Fox News & The Guardian)