Military strikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA – Coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes using fighter, attack, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using rocket artillery, fighter, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

* Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed an ISIL crane.
* Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL buildings.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed 16 ISIL skid mounted gas and oil separation plants.
* Near Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL bunker, and wounded an ISIL fighter.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and damaged an ISIL building.
* Near Washiyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL excavator.

Iraq

* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL building, and wounded an ISIL fighter.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Kisik, two strikes destroyed five ISIL assembly areas and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters building and destroyed an ISIL excavator.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL weapons caches, and two ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Ramadi, six strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL tactical vehicle, an ISIL training facility, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), an ISIL recoilless rifle, wounded three ISIL fighters, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL-used bridge.

Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.

A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location. So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use. Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community.

The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.