February 18: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Feb. 17, Coalition military forces conducted 20 strikes consisting of 54 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes consisting of 19 engagements against ISIS targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed an oil wellhead.

• Near Al Bab, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

• Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a tactical vehicle and a weapons cache.

• Near Ar Raqqah, seven strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 70 oil barrels, three oil storage tanks, three fighting positions, two oil refinement stills and a weapons storage area; and damaged a bridge.

• Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed five oil wellheads.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of 35 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq against ISIS targets.

• Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.

• Near Kirkuk, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building and a fighting position.

• Near Mosul, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed eight front-end loaders, four excavators, three watercraft, an ISIS-held building and a barge; damaged 11 supply routes; and suppressed five mortar teams and an ISIS tactical unit.

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.