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Counter-ISIS Strikes Hit Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

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U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 22 strikes consisting of 66 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
Operation Inherent Resolve - Targeted Operations Against ISIS Terrorists
U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
Photo By: DoD Graphic
VIRIN: 170113-D-ZZ999-001

Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes consisting of 19 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed two ISIS headquarters.

-- Near Raqqa, 11 strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven vehicles, three fighting positions, an ISIS barge, a vehicle bomb factory, a weapons storage facility; and damaged two ISIS supply routes.

-- Near Tabqah, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 47 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed five rocket-propelled grenade systems, three fighting positions, three mortar systems, two vehicles, an ISIS staging area, a command-and-control node, a weapons cache; damaged 18 ISIS supply routes, three fighting positions; and suppressed two ISIS tactical units.

-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed a rocket storage facility.

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed two tactical vehicles, two mortar systems, an anti-air artillery system a vehicle bomb factory, and a supply cache.

Additionally, 10 strikes were conducted in Syria on May 9 that closed within the last 24 hours:

-- Near Raqqa, 10 strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units; destroyed nine fighting positions, a vehicle bomb factory, an ISIS headquarters; damaged a bridge, a road; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said. 

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does 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.

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