Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria and Iraq
U.S. Central Command
SOUTHWEST ASIA, December 24, 2016 - On Dec. 23, Coalition military forces conducted 20 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter, rotary, and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery against ISIL targets.
The following is a summary of the strikes conducted since the last press release:
Syria
- Near Raqqah, 13 strikes engaged 10 ISIL tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, three vehicles, and a VBIED; and damaged a supply route.
- Near Palmyra, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and damaged an artillery system.
Iraq
- Near Bayji, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and damaged a tunnel entrance.
- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed five ISIL-held buildings, four fighting positions, a vehicle, a mortar system, a weapons cache, and a VBIED factory; damaged five supply routes, three bridges, and a tunnel; and suppressed five tactical units and three mortar systems.
- Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and a weapons cache.
Airstrike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.
A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location.
So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use.
Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does 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. The information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on 'Z' or Greenwich Mean Time.
Ground-based artillery fired in counter-fire or in fire support to maneuver roles are not classified as a strike as defined by CJTF-OIR.
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 group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.