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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 the latest 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 conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and four supply routes and damaged a vehicle.

-- Near Ayn Isa, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed a heavy machine gun, a fighting position, a vehicle and an anti-aircraft weapon system.

-- Near Manbij, a strike produced inconclusive results.

-- Near Mara, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.

Strikes in Iraq

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

-- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed a vehicle bomb.

-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying five fighting positions, three mortar systems, two ISIL-held buildings, two vehicles, a weapons storage facility, a command-and-control node, a tunnel entrance, a front-end loader and an artillery system. Two fighting positions were damaged and two tactical units and a heavy machine gun were suppressed.

-- Near Rawah, three strikes destroyed three ISIL storage containers, a bunker and a supply cache. An excavator was damaged.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL-held buildings, two vehicles, a vehicle bomb and a heavy machine gun.

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 they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group'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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