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.
Strikes in Syria
Bomber, ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Raqqah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL oil pumpjack.
-- Near Manbij, 10 strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL cave entrances, two ISIL caves, and an ISIL-used bridge.
-- Near Mar’a, a strike destroyed an ISIL artillery system.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Fallujah, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 11 ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL recoilless rifles, five ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL weapons caches, and two ISIL staging areas.
-- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two separate large ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL mortar system.
-- Near Hit, a strike produced inconclusive results.
-- Near Kisik, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL weapons cache.
-- Near Mosul, four strikes struck two ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL mortar system, and an ISIL vehicle and damaged a separate ISIL vehicle.
-- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL vehicle bomb-making factory.
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 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, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.