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 the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed 10 ISIL oil tanker trucks.
-- Near Al Shadaddi, seven strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units and destroyed a vehicle bomb, three vehicles and a command and control node.
-- Near Raqqah, five strikes engaged two ISIL weapons caches and destroyed 11 supply routes.
-- Near Dayz Ar Awr, a strike destroyed three ISIL oil tanker trucks.
-- Near Mara, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and a mortar cache.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter and ground attack aircraft conducted nine strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Baghdadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ammo caches and two buildings.
-- Near Mosul, three strikes destroyed three ISIL headquarters buildings.
-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed four ISIL headquarters buildings, a vehicle and a vehicle bomb.
-- Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position, a building and a heavy machine gun.
-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and a tunnel entrance.
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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL'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.