Coalition Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Iraq, Syria
http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/783812/coalition-strikes-hit-isil-terrorists-in-iraq-syriaFrom a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, May 27, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Operation Inherent Resolve - Targeted Operations Against ISIL Terrorists
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Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted two strikes in Syria:
-- Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed two ISIL oil pumpjacks.
-- Near Isa, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 23 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
-- Near Huwayjah, a strike struck an ISIL financial center.
-- Near Fallujah, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, five ISIL weapons caches and an ISIL vehicle bomb.
-- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL anti-air artillery piece and an ISIL recoilless rifle.
-- Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL mortar system.
-- Near Mosul, eight strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units; destroyed an ISIL fighting position, four ISIL vehicles and four ISIL assembly areas; and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Qayyarah, a strike struck an ISIL headquarters.
-- Near Sinjar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck two ISIL-used bridges.
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.
