B-52 unleashes record number of 'precision-guided' bombs on Taliban

America's long-serving B-52 set a record for the number of guided bombs dropped from the plane in a series of strikes against the Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan.

A single B-52 Stratofortress dropped 24 "precision-guided" bombs on Taliban strongholds in the north the central Asian country as part of a four-day campaign, according to US forces.

The strikes hit Taliban training camps in Badakhshan province in a bid to disrupt "the planning and rehearsal of terrorist acts" near the border with China and Tajikistan, the US Central Command said on Tuesday (6 February).

The operation comes after the terror group launched a series of attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul last month, killing over 100 people. The most devastating attack saw a bomb hidden in an ambulance explode, killing at least 95 people and injuring 158.

US President Donald Trump labelled the attack "despicable" and called for "decisive action" against the Taliban.

The US Air Force says its strikes continue to disrupt Taliban networks in Helmand province, and destroy the terrorist group's sources of revenue, such as illegal narcotics.

The Taliban have lost more than $30m of revenue since this current bombing operation began in November last year, said the US Air Force.

General John Nicholson, commander of US Forces Afghanistan, said: "The Taliban have nowhere to hide. There will be no safe haven for any terrorist group bent on bringing harm and destruction to this country."

He added: "The Taliban cannot win on the battlefield, therefore they inflict harm and suffering on innocent civilians. All they can do is kill innocent people and destroy what other people have built."

In October last year 14% of Afghan districts were under the control or influence of the Taliban or other insurgents, according to military data seen by CNN. This in up by one percentage point compared to previous analysis last August.

US and NATO forces have been fighting to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan for sixteen years, following the 9/11 terror attacks.

The B-52 first entered service in the 1950s during the height of the Cold War, and was designed as long-range, high-altitude intercontinental nuclear bomber that could strike deep into enemy territory.