James Mattis

“digging into tunnels to count bodies.”

James Mattis · said 2017-04-13 · reported 2026-10-21

Then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he was not going to waste time counting casualties after the MOAB strike in Afghanistan.

“The battle was going on, and we were going to use what was necessary to break ISIS,”

James Mattis · said 2017-04-13 · reported 2026-10-21

Then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis explained the rationale for using the MOAB against ISIS fighters in Afghanistan.

“There was no surprise,”

James Mattis · said 2017-04-13 · reported 2026-10-21

Then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis commented on the first use of a MOAB, dropped on a cave complex in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan on April 13, 2017.