welcome to bbc news. the afghan government says 36 militants from the so called islamic state group were killed when the united states dropped one of its biggest non nuclear bombs in the eastern province of naanggarhar on thursday. the commander of us forces in afghanistan generaljohn nicholson said the attack had been coordinated with the government in kabul, and that no civilians were harmed. but there s also been criticism. former afghan president hamid karzai condemned the bombing as inhuman. our south asia editor jill mcgivering reports. this is american hard power in action. the moment the us dropped, for the first time, the biggest non nuclear weapon it has. it was a moab, nicknamed the mother of all bombs , and it was targeting underground bases in eastern afghanistan, a stronghold of the so called islamic state group. the us military insists afghan leaders gave full approval. this was the right weapon against the right target. we will continue to work shoulder to sh
north korea s army has promised what it called a merciless response to any us provocation reflecting growing tension about the country s nuclear and weapons programmes. china has called for calm, saying it fears conflict could break out at any moment. it comes as the united states says a huge bomb dropped on so called islamic state militants in afghanistan was the right weapon against the right target . the us military insists it was a local, tactical decision. others believe its principal aim was as a show of strength. our security correspondent frank gardner reports. a powerful armada, in the words of president trump. this is the us navy s carl vinson carrier battle group, equipped with 90 strike aircraft and other weapons and diverted to the seas off north korea. mr trump is hoping it will intimidate that country s isolated regime into abandoning any further nuclear tests or long range missile launches. china has warned of the imminent danger of a war being trig
country. his grandson, the current leader kim jong un, could country. his grandson, the current leader kimjong un, could carry country. his grandson, the current leader kim jong un, could carry out his sixth nuclear test. we are in john yang. pyongyang. they sing. in north korea, the spectre of war looms large over daily life. these girls are singing about being soldiers. while, not far away, real ones crowd into a shrine to the country s founding president, general kim il sung. these are scenes akin to a religious pilgrimage, but of course, in honour of a still ruling family dynasty who have at their disposal all of the myth that would rival any of the world s great religions. and as the country prepares to display its devotion at the anniversary of kim il sung s birth this weekend, there s an awareness of the rising tension with america. translation: we should have the nuclear weapons. if we do not have nuclear weapons, the nuclear weapon of another country will fall on
parade which is due to start in a few hours. troops are gathering in the capital to mark the anniversary of the founder of the country, kim il sung. there s speculation that his grandson the current leader kimjong un could carry out a nuclear test, the country s sixth, as it marks the national holiday. our reporterjohn sudworth is in pyongyang with a group of foreign journalists invited to witness the event and his movements are closely monitored. they sing. in north korea, the spectre of war looms large over daily life. these girls are singing about being soldiers. while, not far away, real ones crowd into a shrine to the country s founding president, general kim il sung. these are scenes akin to a religious pilgrimage, but of course, in honour of a still ruling family dynasty who have at their disposal all of the myth that would rival any of the world s great religions. and as the country prepares to display its devotion at the anniversary of kim il sung s birth this
north korea said it is prepared to respond to any nuclear attack by the united states with an all out war. choe ryong hae who is second in command of the country s military said north korea is ready to hit back with a nuclear attack of its own. he was speaking as tens of thousands of north korean soldiers and civilians were taking part in celebrations to mark the anniversary of the birth of the country s founder, kim il sung. this was the scene a short time ago as president kim jong un arrived at the event. along with the traditional parade of missile launchers and other military hardware, there s speculation that he could order another nuclear test. this is the scene live in pyongyang. tens of thousands of people have come out to take part in this co ordinated military parade. you can see missile launchers are on display as well as other military hardware. many people monitoring this very closely and as is our correspondence in north korea john sudworth. his movements ar