U.S. and coalition military forces 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, ground-attack, fighter, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:
-- Near Hasakah, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL structures, an ISIL vehicle bomb, damaged an ISIL structure, and wounded ISIL fighters.
-- Near Hawl, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded ISIL fighters.
-- Near Mar'a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Haditha, one strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.
-- Near Hit, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL explosive obstacles, two ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL heavy machine gun positions, two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL weapon caches, an ISIL staging area, an ISIL vehicle bomb, cratered an ISIL road, suppressed an ISIL rocket position, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL checkpoint.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Tikrit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, and four ISIL vehicles.
Definition of a ‘Strike’
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, the officials said, having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike. Multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, with the cumulative effect of making that facility [or facilities] harder or impossible to use is also considered a single strike, task force officials said.
Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in each 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 conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.