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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 30 strikes consisting of 88 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 33 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed an ISIS wellhead and a vehicle.

-- Near Hawl, two strikes destroyed three vehicle bomb-making facilities.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed seven ISIS oil trucks, four ISIS barges, an ISIS wellhead, a command-and-control node and an ISIS headquarters.

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

-- Near Raqqa, nine strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed six fighting positions, three vehicles, a tactical vehicle and a mortar system.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 55 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Beiji, four strikes destroyed eight trenches, four ISIS fuel trucks, three tactical vehicles, three fuel tanks and a storage container.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 42 vehicles, nine vehicle bombs, three fighting positions, two mortar systems, two mortar systems, a rocket-propelled grenade system, a tactical vehicle, an anti-air artillery system and a vehicle bomb-making facility; damaged 10 ISIS supply routes, a tunnel; and suppressed three ISIS tactical units and a mortar unit.

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

-- Near Tal Afar a strike destroyed an unmanned aircraft system launch site.

Additionally, six strikes were conducted in Syria from May 23-24 that closed within the last 24 hours:

-- Near Raqqa, May 23, two strikes destroyed three command-and-control nodes.

-- Near Raqqa, May 24, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed six fighting positions, a mortar system and a vehicle.

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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