An official website of the United States Government 
Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov

.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

You have accessed part of a historical collection on defense.gov. Some of the information contained within may be outdated and links may not function. Please contact the DOD Webmaster with any questions.

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 today.

Operation Inherent Resolve - Targeted Operations Against ISIL Terrorists
Operation Inherent Resolve
Operation Inherent Resolve - Targeted Operations Against ISIL Terrorists
Photo By: DoD Graphic
VIRIN: 160401-D-XT155-002

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

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 21 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Shadaddi, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed a vehicle bomb, a vehicle bomb storage facility and a fighting position; and damaged a repeater box and communications tower.

-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units, destroyed a fighting position and disabled an ISIL armored vehicle.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, seven strikes destroyed two excavators, one bulldozer, two oil wellheads, 13 oil construction vehicles, four cranes, a piece of engineering equipment and seven front-end loaders.

-- Near Raqqah, seven strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units; destroyed a vehicle bomb, a vehicle bomb storage facility, a weapons cache and 11 fighting positions; and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Tanf, a strike destroyed an ISIL repeater box, two repeater antennas and two solar panels.

Strikes in Iraq

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

-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed a pickup truck and a vehicle bomb storage facility.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed two mortars, a tactical vehicle and two command and control nodes; damaged two supply routes, and suppressed nine mortar teams and an ISIL tactical unit.

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.

Related Stories