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Coalition Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Iraq, Syria

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U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. 

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed an ISIL pumpjack and damaged an ISIL oil tanker.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed an ISIL wellhead.

-- Near Manbij, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL supply cache.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Haditha, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL supply cache.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL weapons facility and an ISIL cement plant.

-- Near Qayyarah, five strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed 46 ISIL rockets, 40 ISIL rocket rail systems, nine ISIL boats, two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL recruiting station, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device facility, an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle storage facility; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

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

-- Near Sinjar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position; and suppressed an ISIL rocket position and an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL rocket-propelled grenade system and an ISIL light machine gun.

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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