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U.S., Coalition Continue Counter-ISIL Strikes 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

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 16 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed two ISIL oil tanker trucks and an oil tanker trailer and damaged three supply routes.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.

-- Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle-bomb factory and an oil tanker truck.

-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, a command-and-control node and an artillery system.

-- Near Mara, eight strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven fighting positions, three improvised bombs, three vehicles, a mortar system and a command-and-control node.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 12 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL improvised-bomb factories.

-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIL building.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed two vehicles, a fighting position, a mortar system and two tunnel entrances.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an improvised weapons facility, a vehicle-bomb factory, an ISIL headquarters building and two vehicles, also suppressing a rocket-launcher system.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes destroyed an ISIL headquarters building, a mortar system, two supply caches and four rocket rails.

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

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a medium machine gun and suppressed a rocket-propelled-grenade system.

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 Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

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