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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

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U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, 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.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes struck an ISIL modular refinery and an ISIL gas and oil separation plant.

-- Near Hawl, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven ISIL buildings and an ISIL fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Qaim, a strike struck an ISIL bomb-making and storage facility.

-- Near Fallujah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker.

-- Near Hit, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Kisik, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL light machine gun and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, nine strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL improvised weapons factory, an ISIL bomb factory, an ISIL mortar factory, and an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb facility and destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, and ISIL vehicle, an ISIL light machine gun, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike suppressed an ISIL rocket position.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL light machine gun position.

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.

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 group's ability to project terror and conduct operations.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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