RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — B-1 bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base have been dropping bombs at a record pace this year as part of an escalated assault on Islamic State targets.

Base commander Col. Gentry Boswell says Ellsworth's 34th Bomb Squadron dropped about 2,200 bombs on targets in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria during a six-month deployment that ended in July.

The Rapid City Journal reports Boswell says that's the most bombs dropped during a six-month deployment by an American B-1 squadron in the last 10 years.

Since July, Ellsworth's 37th Bomb Squadron has already surpassed that mark with more than 2,700 bombs dropped.

Boswell says he expects deployments to continue with increased cooperation from European partners as they react to the recent Paris attacks by the Islamic State group.

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