An official website of the United States Government 
Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov

.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

You have accessed part of a historical collection on defense.gov. Some of the information contained within may be outdated and links may not function. Please contact the DOD Webmaster with any questions.

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 27 strikes consisting of 65 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 19 strikes consisting of 27 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, five strikes destroyed 10 ISIS oil storage tanks, three ISIS wellheads and an ISIS oil tanker.

-- Near At Tanf, two strikes destroyed two front-end loaders, a piece of construction equipment, a tactical vehicle and a tank.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike engaged and ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed four fighting positions, two tunnels, two vehicle bomb-making facilities, a mortar system, a vehicle, a supply cache, an ISIS headquarters, a weapons cache, and a tactical vehicle; and damaged three fighting positions.

-- Near Tabqah, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, a fighting position and a tunnel entrance.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 38 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS warehouse.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and a sniper; destroyed 13 fighting positions, three rocket systems, two heavy machine guns, two medium machine guns, a vehicle bomb, and a mortar system; and damaged seven fighting positions and three ISIS supply routes.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed four ISIS-held buildings.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle.

Additionally, five strikes were conducted in Iraq and Syria on May 16 and 17 that closed within the last 24 hours:

-- Near Raqqa, Syria, on May 16, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed six ISIS-held buildings, four ISIS tunnels, two fighting positons and one tactical vehicle.

-- Near Sinjar, Iraq, on May 17, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three vehicles.

-- Near Raqqa, Syria, on May 17, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed two fighting positions and a supply cache; and damaged two ISIS supply routes and a fighting position.

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.

Related Stories