Taliban hit by bombs used in Vietnam

Huge 'daisy cutter' weapons target frontline troops

The US has dropped devastating "daisy cutter" bombs, first used in the Vietnam war, on Taliban positions in northern Afghanistan, the Pentagon said yesterday.

The BLU-82 is the size of a small car but much heavier - it weighs 6,800kg (15,000 pounds). It is described as the world's heaviest conventional bomb, and has been used to bomb positions behind Taliban front lines, according to American defence officials.

The Associated Press news agency said reports from Afghanistan indicated the bombs were used on frontline Taliban posts. A Pentagon briefing confirmed that two of the bombs had been used.

Similar to a fuel-air bomb, the BLU-82 - also called "big blue" - combines a watery mixture or "slurry" of ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder with air creating a mist which, when ignited, explodes with a blast that incinerates everything within between 300 and 600 yards.

The blast produces overpressure of 1,000 pounds per square inch, close to that of a tactical nuclear weapon. It can be felt miles away.

The bombs, which cost $27,000 (£19,000) each, were used to clear jungle in Vietnam for helicopter landing grounds. They were also used in the Gulf war, initially to test their ability to clear minefields.

They are dropped by parachute from slow, adapted, Hercules C-130 aircraft flying at at least 1,820 metres (6,000ft) to avoid the shock waves.

General Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said: "As you would expect, they make a heck of a bang when they go off and the intent is to kill people."