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Counter-ISIL Strikes Continue 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.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in 19 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed nine oil tanker trucks and an oil wellhead.

-- Near Al Bab, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Ar Raqqah seven strikes destroyed two oil stills, two tunnels, a tunnel system, an anti-air artillery system, an ISIL-held building and a bridge.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed eight oil tanker trucks, an oil wellhead and an oil still.

 Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, rotary and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as artillery, conducted six strikes consisting of 28 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Irbil, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed an ISIL-held building and a weapons cache.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed 13 watercraft, three mortar systems, two front-end loaders, two supply caches, two ISIL-held buildings, two pieces of engineering equipment, and a tank, damaged three supply routes, and suppressed two mortar teams.

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 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, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

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