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.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIL oil wellhead.
-- Near Shadaddi, a strike damaged an ISIL supply route.
-- Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL weapons factory and a barracks.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle, four oil tanker trucks, an oil tanker trailer and two oil wellheads. Six supply routes were damaged.
-- Near Manbij, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and damaged a checkpoint.
-- Near Mara, seven strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a vehicle and an anti-air artillery system.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Baghdadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a repeater tower and a bunker.
-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units and destroyed three weapons caches and suppressed a sniper firing position.
-- Near Qayyarah, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed 38 vehicles, four watercraft and a land bridge. A culvert entrance was damaged and a tactical unit was suppressed.
-- Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles, two supply caches and a fuel tank.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and an artillery system.
-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a checkpoint.
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.