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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists 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

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted four strikes in Syria:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed 14 ISIL oil tankers.

-- Near Manbij, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL command-and-control node.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Qaim, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Hit, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL ammunition cache.

-- Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 12 ISIL oil tankers, an ISIL staging facility and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Ramadi, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar system.

-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and an ISIL vehicle bomb-making factory.

-- Near Mosul, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL command-and-control node.

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 they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group'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, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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