U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 12 strikes consisting of 16 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of four engagements against ISIS targets:
-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed four ISIS oil stills.
-- Near Shadaddi, two strikes suppressed two ISIS mortar teams.
Strikes in Iraq
In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of seven engagements against ISIS targets:
-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes destroyed an ISIS-held building and an ISIS headquarters.
-- Near Kisik, a strike illuminated an area.
-- Near Rawah, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building, a vehicle-borne bomb and a vehicle-borne-bomb storage facility.
-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed five VBIED facilities.
Aug. 3 Strikes
Additionally, 27 strikes consisting of 33 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on Aug. 3 that closed within the last 24 hours.
-- Near Abu Kamal, Syria, a strike destroyed 11 ISIS oil stills.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed an ISIS financial headquarters.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.
The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.
For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.
The task force 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.