Yesterday, coalition airstrikes destroyed multiple Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets near Hit and Kubaysah, Iraq, in coordination with and in support of the government of Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said today.
The airstrikes attacked key ISIL targets in Anbar province, including two vehicle-borne bomb production facilities, an ISIL headquarters building, and an ISIL staging area at the Kubaysah cement factory, officials said.
The coalition continues to systematically target ISIL’s improvised explosive device network because these weapons are a key component of ISIL tactics, officials said. IEDs of all types pose a major threat to Iraqi security forces and indiscriminately kill civilians, which makes reducing ISIL’s capability to produce them that much more important, officials added.
Officials said the coalition targeted only portions of the Kubaysah cement factory because those portions were being used by ISIL as a staging area for their fighters, equipment, and weapons. The coalition takes great care to reduce collateral damage and preserve Iraqi infrastructure, officials said.
The destruction of these targets will further degrade ISIL’s ability to conduct operations in the Euphrates River Valley, officials said. These strikes, officials said, are part of ongoing coalition operations in Anbar province to assist the government of Iraq to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL terrorists.