A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off for a nighttime mission at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan (Source: VOAnews)

The airstrikes also destroyed stolen Afghan National Army vehicles that were in the process of being converted to vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. The airstrikes initially focused on Taliban-linked narcotics producing labs in the southern province of Helmand with a mission to cut insurgent main revenue streams.