Strikes Continue Against ISIL Targets in Iraq, Syria

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported on Friday.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

  • Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
  • Near Mara, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL mortar positions and an ISIL vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter and ground attack aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

  • Near Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL bunker and denied ISIL access to terrain.
  • Near Fallujah, four strikes struck two separate large ISIL tactical units; destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL-used bridges; suppressed a separate ISIL tactical unit; and denied ISIL access to terrain.
  • Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and denied ISIL access to terrain.
  • Near Kisik, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, destroyed an ISIL assembly area and two ISIL tunnel entrances and denied ISIL access to terrain.
  • Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL fuel and service station and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
  • Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit, destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance and denied ISIL access to terrain.
  • Near Ramadi, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
  • Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an ISIL rocket position.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

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 terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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