Foreign Affairs

Pat Buchanan Critical Of Syria Strike Applauds Massive Bomb Against ISIS As Warning To North Korea

Airman 1st Class Steven (left) and Airman 1st Class Taylor prepare an MQ-9 Reaper for flight during exercise Combat Hammer, May 15, 2014, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Reaper crews flew a week-long mission, where they released the GBU-12 Paveway II and AGM-114 Hellfire munitions. Steven and Taylor are MQ-9 Reaper crew chiefs from the 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nadine Barclay/Released)

Former Republican president adviser Pat Buchanan said in an interview Thursday that he supports the U.S. military’s bombing of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, as it represents a warning to North Korea.

Appearing on WABC Radio with host Rita Cosby, Buchanan stated that while he didn’t support the Tomahawk strikes last Thursday against the Syrian air base al-Shayrat, the bombing of ISIS is fully justified.

The U.S. military dropped a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb on ISIS in Afghanistan on Thursday via an MC-130 aircraft. U.S. officials said this is the first use of the MOAB in battle.

“This is attacking ISIS and Al Qaeda – ‎I’m all for it,” Buchanan said.

For Buchanan, the missile strike against Syria was unconstitutional, as Congress had not authorized it. Additionally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had neither attacked, nor threatened the United States. The same, however, does not hold true for ISIS,.

As such, not only is the bombing of ISIS fully justified, but Buchanan also noted that the use of the MOAB bomb to target underground ISIS tunnels sends a clear message to North Korea that its tunnel system, which Buchanan says is used for bomb tests, is vulnerable.

“This is a second message that’s being sent and it’s to the North Koreans,” Buchanan told Cosby. “The North Koreans, they have their tests, their atom bombs deep in tunnels, and I think what it is is a message ‎to them that we can get down in there and kill your people underground as well as above ground, and so I would think that’s a message to North Korea as well.”

“They will take notice of it, and realize that they’ve got areas that (are) underground that are vulnerable,” he added.

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