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 yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Bomber, attack, ground-attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.
-- Near Mara, a strike struck an ISIL headquarters.
-- Near Manbij, seven strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 17 ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:
-- Near Bashir, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
-- Near Beiji, a strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Kisik, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Mosul, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and five ISIL assembly areas.
-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
-- Near Ramadi, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL recoilless rifle.
-- Near Waleed, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.
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, the region, 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, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.