U.S. Air Forces Central Command reports B-1B Lancer aircraft from the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) bombed multiple Taliban narcotics production and storage facilities in Afghanistan during a mission on May 18.
The 34th EBS BONEs deployed their largest amount of weapons on narcotics facilities since the squadron’s reintroduction in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command’s AOR in April.
This mission was part of realigning airpower from Operation Inherent Resolve, to support increased activity in Afghanistan and bolster Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) capabilities.
“Increased airpower supports a deliberate air campaign designed to degrade the Taliban’s primary means of funding its operations — narcotics production,” said Capt. Mark Olme, a 34th EBS pilot. “These strikes will mitigate the Taliban’s ability to fund insurgent operations that kill innocent Afghan civilians and strengthen the ANDSF’s ability to fight and win on the ground.”
The ANDSF are now planning and calling their own strikes and successfully demonstrating the ability to integrate operations that enable battlefield successes. Together with U.S. airpower and advisors, they will continue to develop the critical war-fighting capabilities needed to help them in their task of defeating the Taliban and other threats.
Since November, more than 75 strikes against narcotics processing and storage facilities and stockpiles have resulted in the loss of tens of millions of dollars for the Taliban. According to Frank Mercurio, 34th EBS chief of weapons and tactics, the intent is to go after the root of the problem.
“We’re trying to target their means of funding,” Mercurio said. “So if we take out their narcotics factories, storage and production — we’re basically rooting the Taliban from any money or funding they might have to then go and use against innocent Afghan civilians.”
According to Olme, there are several parties that work together to make missions like this possible.
“We work together with the joint terminal attack controller, command and control network, tasking authorities and usually an air-refueling tanker,” Olme said. “There are five or six entities all working in conjunction during missions like this.”
The reputable B-1 — with its supersonic speed, long loiter time and massive payload — returned to the U. S. Central Command AOR in April to combat Taliban and other terrorist groups after two years of supporting the U. S. Pacific Command’s AOR.
“We are not in the Pacific anymore,” Olme said. “We’re back and we’re making our presence known with the Taliban.”
Good to see the BONEs back, and hitting them where it hurts.
Comments
53 responses to “379th AEW bomber strikes Taliban drug facilities”
I do love to hear about the Taliban getting BONEd. Insh’allah, bitches.
Aloha Snackbar!!!
Me likes
Each JDAM costs $18,000; which is a Honda Civic
Better to take that money and build a bomb to destroy our enemies rather than waste it building yet another Nerdmobile!
Each B1-B flight hour is $57,000; which is 3 Honda Civics or 11,400 VA Outpatient co-pays
Pretty plane.
Uhh, last I knew the Taliban actually outlawed and destroyed drug cultivation and refining in the areas that it controlled. From what we were told, they were very much against poppy and heroin production and it was harshly punished.
Maybe this has changed in the last few years, and if anyone has contrary info, I’m all ears. At least for me, I’m not sure who the Air Force is bombing, but I’m not convinced it’s the Taliban.
I hope that your comments are satire, they’re nearly two decades out of date. The Taliban have 0 problems growing opium to raise money to fight the Invaders just like they did with the Russians.
E-6….Google “Taliban and drug production.” Hey, a buck is a buck. Allah will understand.
Taliban are just as hypocritical as liberals.
When you murder women and children selling drugs is nothing.
The Taliban did outlaw and destroy drug cultivation. Then, they started getting their collective asses handed to them and were running out of cash and “volunteers”. So mohammed spoke to them said “hey, its ok to grow drugs as long as you use the money for jihadi-type operations”. It’s a fookin’ miracle. Who knew old mo’ was a capitalist.
Are you serious? Where the fuck have you been for the last 15 years?
Are they now gonna bomb China for its Fentanyl production that is killing everyone?? Mexico??
Thought not.
Why do you ask, are the Chinese using profits from fentanyl production to support the Taliban?
My point, is that China is one sending the deadly packages to our countries.
Afghan dope stays mostly on the Eurasian landmass.
Which one hits closer to home?
The point is not to stop truck production the points to stop funding to terrorist organizations.
Drug not truck
On target, 5JC.
Except for the loads smuggled into the US thru Mexico by Hamas and Hezbollah with the tacit help of the Obama administration. The DEA was told to stand down by the state Department when they got too close to the smuggling operation thru latin america.
Ok….Yes, bombing the Taliban is always good. However, I doubt it makes much of an impact
Illegal Opioids made from actual poppies are becoming obsolete. Heroin is Pepsi Clear compared to fentanyl.
They will simply find other money-making ventures.
If synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanyl have not yet made it to your communities, consider yourself lucky and stay on guard.
I used to think drug problems in my town were bad when every dirtbag shithead addict was knocking over every drugstore in town for Oxy, Xanax, etc.
Then the opioids like heroin, fentanyl, etc., became popular. I have no idea how many OD’s per week our first responders answer now.
It is so bad here, that Naloxone is in about every public FA Kit.
In Indiana, Naloxone can be obtained by anyone without prescription from a local pharmacy (as long as the pharmacy has registered with the state to do so), cf. https://www.in.gov/isdh/27387.htm. Indiana is also working to get Naloxone kits in all police patrol cars.
Were it up to me I would use Agent Orange to kill their dope crops and sever that source of revenue.
And make their children retarded for generations!
I guess it IS hard to hold an AK with flipper-hands…
Jeez, RCAF-Chairborne, careful or you’re gonna break a string on that violin of yours.
I was being 100% serious
So was I.
Well….I was really, really super serious
Based on what i’ve seen, it wouldn’t be that much of a change RCAF
I was going to see your two reallys and raise you one but then you went all in with “super.” I fold.
We tried that in Mexico and Columbia. The results were not quite as good as planned. I am sure, though, that using $400 million strategic bombers to bomb poppy fields will work much better.
At least the bomber crews will close the awards and decorations gap with the fighter crews.
Fuck using Agent Orange, I’d use 2,4,D and they could grow corn or wheat on those fields afterward.
Interesting side note, 24-D was one on the components of Agent Orange.
Too bad the Air Force doesn’t have combat crop dusters to take care of the poppy fields.
Big, big holes work better.
If it ain’t supersonic, it ain’t worth having.
Ahem
A-10
With 30 MM shotgun shells filled with weed killer granuals.
Napalm!
Flint Michigan Tap Water!!!
Someone piss in your Cheerios this morning, RCAF?
and CBU’s!
There have been tests made on the O-AX Longsword which is a Air Tractor 802 crop-duster. I think it will work because the liberals are already saying it won’t.
You’ll need a flight of A-10s to fly top cover for them. Run the A-10s with an 802 right behind it all in line abreast over the fields. One pass should work.
Ever see an Arc Light mission?
Yup! Does the job.
More good news. According to Fox, Marine arty has taken out 70 or so Taliban big-wigs.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05/30/us-marines-kill-more-than-70-taliban-leaders-in-afghanistan.html
Ramp up the pressure, baby. It’s been said before, but bares repeating: it’s good to have the grownups in charge and focused on lethality rather than transgender rights.
Good live fire practice for the bomber crews and the Afghan ground forces.
Damn, I’d love to learn how to fly one of those.
Or as the fictional Admiral Naismith said “hit them in the pocketbooks.”