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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:

• Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed three ISIL oil-well heads, six supply routes and an oil pump jack.
• Near Shadaddi, two strikes destroyed two ISIL front-end loaders.
• Near Ayn Isa, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed four ISIL oil collection pools, three oil well heads and two vehicles.
• Near Mara, five strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units, destroying three fighting positions and a mortar system. A heavy machine gun firing position was suppressed.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Hit, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Kisik, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying a vehicle, a tunnel and a weapons cache. A mortar firing position was suppressed.
• Near Mosul, six strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying three fighting positions, an oil tanker truck, an ISIL-held building, an explosives cache, a weapons cache, a command-and-control node and a vehicle. An oil tanker truck was damaged.
• Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying an ISIL-held building. A repeater tower power generator was damaged.
• Near Ramadi, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying a tractor, a vehicle, a vehicle bomb, a supply cache, a tunnel and an ISIL-held building. A second ISIL-held building was damaged.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Syria:

• Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed three oil well heads and two oil tanker trucks.
• Near Shadaddi, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle.
• Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed three ISIL oil-well heads, an oil storage tank and an oil drum cache.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed 11 ISIL petroleum, oil and lubricants equipment assets, nine oil tanker trucks and two oil-well heads.
• Near Idlib, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
• Near Manbij, a strike destroyed an ISIL machine gun.
• Near Mara, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a command-and-control node.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as rocket artillery, conducted 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Hit, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed 11 vehicles, five ISIL-held buildings, four weapons caches, two vehicle bombs and a heavy machine gun.
• Near Mosul, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, two staging areas, a vehicle bomb-making factory, a weapons factory and a weapons logistics facility, destroying four vehicles, two weapons caches, two supply caches, a command-and-control node and two ISIL-held buildings.
• Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
• Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
• Near Sinjar, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a heavy machine gun.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed an ISIL repeater tower power supply system.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 20 strikes in Syria:

• Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed seven ISIL oil storage tanks and two oil wellheads.
• Near Shadaddi, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed a vehicle.
• Near Raqqah, five strikes destroyed two ISIL oil pump jacks, two oil wellheads, a crane and an oil tanker truck. Four supply routes were damaged.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed an ISIL oil tanker truck and damaged four supply routes.
• Near Manbij, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.
• Near Mara, seven strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, two vehicle bombs, a heavy machine gun and a vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as rocket artillery, conducted 14 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Beiji, a strike destroyed an ISIL weapons cache and damaged a vehicle.
• Near Hit, a strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
• Near Kisik, a strike destroyed two tunnel entrances and suppressed a mortar firing position.
• Near Mosul, four strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL headquarters buildings and a front-end loader.
• Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and a staging area, and destroyed four vehicles, a fuel truck, three ISIL-held buildings, a weapons cache, a supply cache and a mortar system.
• Near Rawah, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle storage area.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying five ISIL-held buildings and four repeater tower generators. A light machine gun was suppressed.
• Near Tal Afar, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, destroying two tunnel entrances, two ISIL-held buildings and a vehicle. A sniper firing position was suppressed.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Syria:

• Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed two oil pump jacks and damaged two supply routes.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed four oil well heads and four oil tanker trucks.
• Near Manbij, five strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions and a vehicle.
• Near Mar’a, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions and a vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as rocket artillery, conducted nine strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Al Huwayjah, a strike destroyed an ISIL modular oil refinery.
• Near Al Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIL homemade explosives cache.
• Near Bayji, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed a mortar system and a supply cache.
• Near Hit, a strike destroyed a mortar system and a weapons cache.
• Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a staging area.
• Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed two ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL-held buildings, four tunnel entrances, and a command and control node.
• Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building.
• Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed a mortar system and suppressed a mortar firing 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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:

• Near Shadaddi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles.
• Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed an ISIL pump jack.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed 12 oil tanker trucks and two oil wellheads and disabled a bridge along an ISIL supply route.
• Near Manbij, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions.
• Near Mara, five strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions and a mortar system.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb-making facility.
• Near Kisik, a strike produced inconclusive results.
• Near Mosul, four strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, suppressed a mortar system and destroyed an anti-air artillery system and a tunnel.
• Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL vehicles and a mortar system.
• Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and damaged an excavator.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. 

Every year, the number of pilgrims visiting religious sites in Iraq increases. After Iranians were not allowed to travel to Mecca to perform the hajj this year due to Iranian-Saudi disputes, Iranian Shiites headed in great numbers to Imam Husayn Shrine (pictured) in Karbala to celebrate the Day of Arafah on Sept. 10.

There were around 1 million visitors in September. As the holy month of Muharram, during which time Shiites visit Karbala, is approaches, the number of visitors will increase further.

The increase in visitors has sparked questions whether Iraq can find a way to improve the country's economy, despite the fact that it hasn’t imposed taxes or fines on religious tourists for 12 years. But indicators in August foreshadowed a gradual growth in tourism that focuses on religious and archaeological landmarks.

According to Maitham Laibi, an economist and academic at the University of Baghdad, the country's economic growth has not been steady in a way that could ensure effective measures to benefit from the increasing number of visitors.

Laibi told Al-Monitor, “Iraq has not been able to use religious sites to its advantage and integrate them in profitable touristic activities due to the managerial mentality that is characterized by lavish spending on these rituals from the state’s budget, instead of investing in encouraging more locals and international pilgrims to visit.”

He said, "During the era of oil prosperity and the large financial revenues, governmental cars were used during the visits and lump sums of money were spent on religious convoys, while no entrance fees to Iraq were collected.”

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Syria:

• Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed five ISIL oil tanker trucks and two oil well heads.
• Near Ayn Isa, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed nine oil well heads and an oil tanker truck.
• Near Manbij, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions and a tank.
• Near Mara, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a mortar system.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter, remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Huwayjah, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units.
• Near Haditha, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building.
• Near Hit, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and a staging area and destroyed three ISIL-held buildings.
• Near Kisik, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a tunnel and a watercraft.
• Near Mosul, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, destroying two weapon caches, two fighting positions and two tunnels. A mortar system was suppressed.
• Near Qayyarah, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed three rocket rails, three vehicles, two mortar systems, a rocket system, a fighting position and a weapons cache.
• Near Ramadi, a strike destroyed two ISIL machine guns.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL-held building.
• Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Syria:

• Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed seven oil tanker trucks.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes destroyed seven ISIL oil well heads and damaged two supply routes.
• Near Manbij, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, two weapons caches and a mortar system.
• Near Mara, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle bomb, a vehicle and a heavy machine gun.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted 14 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Huwayjah, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed a watercraft, two vehicles and a vehicle bomb. A vehicle was damaged.
• Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL watercraft.
• Near Mosul, six strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units, destroying two vehicles, two tunnels and an anti-air artillery system. Four ISIL fighting positions were damaged.
• Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three vehicles, a heavy machine gun and an anti-air artillery system.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, four strikes destroyed three ISIL headquarters buildings, a weapons cache and a mortar system.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

By Ali Mamouri for Al Monitor. Any views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. 

Saudi newspapers reported Sept. 15 that Shiites are expected to replace their pilgrimage to Mecca with religious visits to Iraq’s Karbala instead.

According Al-Riyadh newspaper, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa allowing “going on pilgrimage to Karbala and other holy shrines in Iraq instead of Mecca this year.”

The decision came following Khamenei's scathing comments against the Saudi royal family Sept. 7, addressing it as “a damned malicious tree” and urging the formation of a fact-finding committee to probe last year's hajj stampede in which more than 460 Iranians were killed. Khamenei also denounced what he called the kingdom’s poor management of holy places.

Last year, Iran and some other Islamic countries called for withdrawing management of the hajj from Saudi Arabia in favor of a joint Islamic management of the pilgrimage affairs.

The news has gone viral in the Arab media and was taken as fact without any checking. However, no such fatwa by Khamenei has yet appeared.

Al-Azhar’s Council of Senior Scholars, which is widely respected in the global Sunni community, commented, “According to Sharia, pilgrimage ought to be performed at a certain time and to a certain destination. Any visit outside this time frame and location that are set in the Sharia is not considered a valid pilgrimage no matter the fatwas issued to this effect.”

The Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Sept. 10 that 1 million Iranians had flocked to Karbala to perform their pilgrimage instead of visiting Mecca in the time of hajj. However, according to the Iranian consul in Karbala, there were no more than 60,000 Iranian pilgrims there at the time of the Asharq Al-Awsat report.

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

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Syria:

• Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIL oil wellhead.
• Near Shadaddi, a strike damaged an ISIL supply route.
• Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL weapons factory and a barracks.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle, four oil tanker trucks, an oil tanker trailer and two oil wellheads. Six supply routes were damaged.
• Near Manbij, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and damaged a checkpoint.
• Near Mara, seven strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a vehicle and an anti-air artillery system.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Baghdadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a repeater tower and a bunker.
• Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units and destroyed three weapons caches and suppressed a sniper firing position.
• Near Qayyarah, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed 38 vehicles, four watercraft and a land bridge. A culvert entrance was damaged and a tactical unit was suppressed.
• Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles, two supply caches and a fuel tank.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and an artillery system.
• Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a checkpoint.

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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

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

(Source: US Dept of Defense)