[10] The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria announced the establishment of its Khorasan branch in January 2015, which was the first time the group had officially spread outside the Arab world.

[11] A few days before the airstrike, U.S. Army Special Forces Staff Sergeant Mark R. De Alencar was mortally wounded by small-arms fire in Nangarhar.

[14] Stars and Stripes reported that General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, said that for four weeks before the bombing, the Afghan National Army Commando Corps attempted to penetrate the area without success, because of the difficult terrain and improvised explosive device (IEDs) planted by Islamic State militants.

[19] It was reported by The Guardian that "a local security official said they had requested a large strike because fighter jets and drones had failed to destroy the tunnel complex".

According to the district chief of Achin, Ismail Shinwari, "the strike was closely coordinated with Afghan soldiers and special forces, and tribal elders had been informed to evacuate civilians.

[29] No immediate reports of civilian casualties were available; however as of 14 April local authorities said the fighting had prevented them from visiting the bomb site near the village of Shodal near the Pakistani border.

[19] Stars and Stripes reported that General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said that since the strike, the offensive operation in the area was resumed.

[30] However, Afghanistan's former president Hamid Karzai condemned the attacks in a series of tweets saying "This is not the war on terror but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as testing ground for new and dangerous weapons.

[39] Deputy assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka, in an interview said that the local commander overseeing operations in the Achin district was able to make the choice to use the MOAB on his own authority.

Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and the Resolute Support Mission, said in a statement that, "As ISIS-K's losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense.

This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K."[19] Conservative politicians and commentators showed support for Trump's use of the MOAB, including Lindsey Graham, Jim Inhofe, and Pat Buchanan.