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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, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as rocket artillery, conducted 17 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike disabled a bridge along an ISIL supply route.

-- Near Raqqah, three strikes destroyed five ISIL oil pump jacks, three oil tanker trucks and an oil wellhead.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes damaged four ISIL supply routes and disabled a bridge along an ISIL supply route.

-- Near Manbij, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicle bomb-making facilities, a vehicle bomb, a logistics node and a fighting position.

-- Near Mara, five strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three vehicle bombs, three fighting positions and a weapons cache.

-- Near Washiyah, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb-making factory.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun cache.

-- Near Bashir, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and two staging areas, destroying an excavator.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units, destroying six ISIL-held buildings, two compounds and a vehicle. A tunnel was damaged, and a mortar system was suppressed.

-- Near Ramadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying two fighting positions, two buildings and an artillery system. A trench system was damaged, and a tactical unit was suppressed.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed an ISIL 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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