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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL 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 yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

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

Strikes in Syria

Rocket artillery and bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes consisting of 16 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil wellhead.

-- Near Bab, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, two mortar systems and an ammunition cache.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed an ISIL front-end loader.

-- Near Raqqa, five strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed an unmanned-aerial-vehicle tower, an ISIL decoy tank and an improvised-bomb factory.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed two oil trucks, two oil pump jacks and two vehicles.

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

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery and attack, bomber, fighter, remotely piloted and rotary aircraft conducted seven strikes in Iraq, consisting of 38 engagements, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed a vehicle, a supply cache and a fighting position; and damaged a tunnel.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units, a mortar cache, an improvised-bomb storage facility, an ammunition storage facility, two tactical vehicles, a fighting position, two mortars, a tow truck, 14 watercraft, three barges, two tanker trucks, two front-end loaders and eight vehicles; suppressed a mortar team; and damaged a supply route, a crane and a tractor.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed a recoilless rifle, a mortar system and a vehicle; and damaged a bunker.

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.

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