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Press Release | Aug. 16, 2016

August 16: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

CJTF-OIR

Soutwest Asia  –   August 16, 2016
Release # 20160816-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Aug. 15, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes using bomber, ground-attack, attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

*Near Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed 10 ISIL oil tankers.

*Near Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL mortar system.

*Near Mar'a, 10 strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL rocket propelled grenade system, and an ISIL weapons cache.

Iraq

*Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL weapons cache, and an ISIL mortar system.

*Near Mosul, one strike produced inconclusive results.

*Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system and degraded an ISIL tunnel.

*Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

*Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas, two ISIL heavy machine guns, five ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL mortar systems, and an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely. A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location. So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use. Accordingly, 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. 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.

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 group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.