Pope Francis said he was “ashamed” after he heard the word “mother” used in association with a deadly U.S. military weapon. The bomb known as the “Mother Of All Bombs” is technically referred to as the Massive Ordinance Air Blast or MOAB. Pope Francis continued to question the weapon’s chosen name, “We call this device a mother. What is happening?”

The name “mother of all bombs” was dubbed from the ear-splitting blast from the weapon let off upon impact. In a passionate speech with a group of students at the Vatican, Pope Francis said, “A mother gives life and this one gives death…”

“I was ashamed when I heard the name of the bomb, ‘Mother of all bombs.'”

This U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) handout photo shows the Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon March 11, 2003 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The 21,000 pound bomb was dropped from a C-130 Hercules aircraft at the Eglin test range March 11, 2003. According to the DoD the MOAB is the largest non-nuclear conventional weapon in existence. (Photo by DoD/Getty Images)

The U.S. bomb was dropped on an ISIS tunnel complex in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Pope Francis’ latest comments are interesting considering he is preparing to meet with President Donald Trump on May 24, 2017. The Pope had a much different stance on immigration and refugees.

Pope Francis criticises the naming of the 'Mother of All Bombs' https://t.co/TdQ8AWcoLo — Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 7, 2017

MOAB Airstrike Kills Nearly 100 ISIS Militants In Afghanistan

The Afghan Ministry of Defense has reported that over 90 ISIS militants were killed following the release of the ‘mother of all bombs.’ The ISIS target resided in a remote part of Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. The massive MOAB bomb is nearly nine feet in length and weighs in at almost 10,000 kgs. According to the DoD, the MOAB is the largest non-nuclear conventional weapon in existence.

According to reports, ISIS fighters were using a vast network of caves and three underground tunnels. The MOAB bomb also destroyed weapons and ammunition, according to the Daily Mail. A Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed that no civilians were hurt.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack as “an inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country.” The ministry added the bomb struck a village near Momand valley.

An Afghan army soldier who was driving toward the targeted area affected by the MOAB bomb revealed to The Guardian what the explosion felt like.

“The explosion felt like a big earthquake, even in the surrounding districts.”

Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, said the goal was to destroy “a system of tunnels and caves that ISIS fighters used to move around freely, making it easier for them to target US military advisers and Afghan forces in the area.”

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) photo shows technicians preparing the Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) . [Image by DoD/Getty Images]

The Afghanistan President, Ashraf Ghani, approved of the strike and said the strike was “designed to support the efforts of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and U.S. forces…conducting clearance operations in the region.”

“Precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties with this air strike.”

Multiple Afghan officials have asserted that they had no information about the bombing prior to it happening, as per CNN.

When asked if the bombing will send a stark message to North Korea, Trump revealed that he wasn’t too concerned about the “message.”

“I don’t know if this sends a message; it doesn’t make any difference if it does or not… North Korea is a problem, the problem will be taken care of.”

How Much Does The ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ MOAB Cost?

As the Inquisitr previously reported, an Air Force representative revealed to the Business Insider that one MOAB unit costs $170,000. The cost of a single MOAB unit was cited to be a massive $314 million dollars. The LA Times published a 2011 article detailing the delivery of a batch of 30,000-pound bombs. The total cost for this batch in 2011 was cited at $314 million. The Daily Caller added that the number was then picked up by various media outlets.

#MOAB first tested in 2003 but was never used in combat before due to fear of possible civilian casualties https://t.co/ltRyZ4plcZ pic.twitter.com/meSkEOEYAk — RT (@RT_com) April 14, 2017

“Many news organizations, including TIME and CNBC, also cited Deagel.com, a site with extensive lists of weapons assets owned by multiple countries, which claims the MOAB costs $16 million per unit, the same amount as the reported cost of the MOP.”

The Business Insider’s article has since been corrected to maintain that the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) does not cost the heavily cited $314 million or even $16 million.

[Featured Image by Franco Origlia/AP Images]