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Inherent Resolve Strikes Target 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

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 17 strikes consisting of 27 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Raqqa, 12 strikes engaged eight ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, three tactical vehicles, two vehicles, a tunnel, a bunker and an ISIL checkpoint.

-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, a tactical vehicle and a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed an oil wellhead and an oil pump jack.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and ground-based artillery conducted 10 strikes consisting of 23 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed three mortar systems and two watercraft; and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Sinjar, six strikes destroyed three ISIL headquarters and a weapons storage facility.

-- Near Tuz, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three vehicle-borne bombs, a tactical vehicle and a front-end loader.

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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