April 21: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

April 21, 2017
Release # 20170421-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 20, Coalition military forces conducted 32 strikes consisting of 80 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 destroyed seven ISIS well heads, five oil tankers, and five oil processing equipment items.
*Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed two bunkers, an ISIS well head, and a front-end loader.
*Near Raqqah, five strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions.
*Near Tabqah, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a command and control node, and an ISIS staging area.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 52 engagements against ISIS targets.
*Near al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIS-held building and a mortar system.
*Near al Qaim, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a weapons cache, a tactical vehicle, and an anti-aircraft artillery system.
*Near Fallujah, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
*Near Mosul, six strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units, destroyed 11 rocket-propelled grenade systems, seven fighting positions, six VBIEDs, five mortar systems, three VBIED facilities, a weapons cache, a medium machine gun and an ISIS staging area; damaged 11 ISIS supply routes, four fighting positions; and suppressed two mortar teams and ISIS tactical unit.
*Near Rawah, one strike destroyed four weapons caches, a VBIED, and a bunker.
*Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed a front-end loader.

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.