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Press Release | April 19, 2017

April 19: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

CJTFOIR

April 19, 2017
Release # 20170419-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 18, Coalition military forces conducted 33 strikes consisting of 124 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 28 engagements against ISIS targets.
* Near Abu Kamal, five strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three ISIS oil exploitation equipment sites, an ISIS vehicle and an ISIS well head.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes destroyed five ISIS barges and five ISIS well heads.
* Near Raqqah, eight strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed three VBIEDs, two fighting positions, two command and control nodes, an ISIS bridge, an anti-air artillery system, a weapons cache; in addition they suppressed a mortar team and an ISIS tactical unit.
* Near Tabqah, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 96 engagements against ISIS targets.
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike destroyed an ISIS bunker.
* Near Al Qaim, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a dump truck.
* Near Mosul, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units, destroyed 11 fighting positions, six rocket-propelled grenade systems, five anti-air artillery systems,  four medium machine guns, four VBIEDs, a weapons cache, a front-end loader, an ISIS vehicle, a command and control node; and suppressed four fighting positions, four ISIS supply routes and four ISIS tactical units.
* Near Rawah, one strike destroyed an anti-air artillery system.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed a weapons cache.

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.

 This Coalition strike release 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.  Ground-based artillery fired in counter-fire or in fire support to maneuver roles are not classified as a strike as defined by CJTF-OIR.

A strike, as defined in the Coalition release, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect in that location.  For example, 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.

CJTF-OIR 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. The information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on 'Z' or Greenwich Mean Time.