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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

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed two ISIL oil well heads.

-- Near Shaddadi, a strike destroyed inoperable coalition equipment.

-- Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL pump jacks.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, seven strikes damaged 14 ISIL supply routes.

-- Near Manbij, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two fighting positions.

-- Near Mara, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a bomb and a fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two fighting positions, a vehicle and a rocket rail.

-- Near Hit, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building.

-- Near Mosul, seven strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed a bomb factory, a weapons cache and a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed two vehicles and a weapons cache.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four mortar systems, two vehicles and a supply cache.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and suppressed a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL weapons cache and a vehicle.

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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