July 8: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

July 8, 2017
Release # 20170708-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA - On July 7, Coalition military forces conducted 29 strikes consisting of 76 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 24 strikes consisting of 30 engagements against ISIS targets.
* Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed three ISIS oil refinement stills, nine oil barrels, and a storage tank
* Near Al Shadaddi, one strike destroyed two ISIS oil refinement stills and two oil barrels.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed two ISIS oil refinement stills, two vehicles, two oil tankers, and a front-end loader.
* Near Raqqah, 18 strikes engaged 16 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 17 fighting positions, two vehicles, and a tunnel.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of 46 engagements against ISIS targets.
* Near Bayji, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three vehicles.
* Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 19 fighting positions, 10 medium machine guns, two weapon caches, an artillery system, and a rocket-propelled grenade system; damaged 13 fighting positions; and suppressed a mortar system.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed a front-end loader.

Additionally, 13 strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on July 5-6 that closed within the last 24 hours.
* On July 5, near Mosul, Iraq, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 13 medium machine guns, four rocket-propelled grenade launchers, four IEDs, three fighting positions, a sniper position, an ISIS-held building, a tank, a vehicle, a command and control node, and a weapons cache; damaged 15 fighting positions; and suppressed a sniper team.
* On July 5, near Raqqah, Syria, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed a fighting position, a front-end loader, and an UAS launch site; and suppressed 17 fighting positions and a sniper team.
* On July 6, near Mosul, Iraq, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed a fighting position, a medium machine gun, and a command and control node; and damaged two supply routes.
* On July 6, near Raqqah, Syria, eights strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions, a recoilless rifle, a weapons cache, and an ISIS-held building.

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 ground-based tactical artillery.

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.

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