The U.S. Air Force broke a record over Afghanistan this week when a B-52 bomber dropped the largest payload in the plane's history.
A B-52 Stratofortress dropped 24 precision guided munitions on Taliban targets with the goal of destroying "insurgent revenue sources, training facilities, and support networks," CNN reports.
The strikes occurred over the course of a four-day operation.
The B-52 is the oldest active aircraft used by the Air Force. It went into service in the 1950s and became symbolic of all nuclear-capable bombers during the Cold War. The last B-52 was produced in 1962, but the planes been upgraded since the end of the Cold War to include precision-guided missiles, electronics, and high-tech sensors. Each B-52 can carry 70,000 pounds of bombs and missiles, according to the air force.
The strikes were part of an increased effort to contain the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to CNN.
US forces continue to carry out strikes on Taliban support networks in Helmand province and target sources of revenue such as illegal narcotics, the service said, adding that strikes and raids in the region have destroyed more than $30 million of Taliban revenue since the campaign began in November, 2017.
Last April, the US military dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb on what it said were ISIS positions in Afghanistan, describing it as a tactical move. Afghan officials said the strike in Nangarhar province near the Pakistan border killed 36 ISIS fighters.
Commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan Gen. John Nicholson reminded terrorists their days are numbered.
"The Taliban have nowhere to hide," Nicholson said. "There will be no safe haven for any terrorist group bent on bringing harm and destruction to this country."