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Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

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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 yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

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

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil well head.

-- Near Ar Raqqah, 13 strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units; destroyed a bunker, an artillery system, five fighting positions, two supply caches, a vehicle, and 25 pieces of oil refinement equipment and damaged five supply routes.

-- Near Dayr Az Zayr, two strikes destroyed 12 trucks and six oil-refinement stills.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted five strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government: attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets:

-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units; destroyed a vehicle, a mortar, five supply caches, three fighting positions, a rocket propelled grenade launcher, two car bomb facilities, an ISIL-held building, a land bridge, a car bomb, damaged 21 supply routes, disabled an ISIL artillery system and suppressed an artillery crew.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed two tactical vehicles.

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 Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, 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.

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