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Press Release | Dec. 11, 2015

Dec. 11: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

December 11, 2015
Release # 20151211-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Dec. 10, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using fighter and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using fighter, bomber, attack, 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 struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and wounded ISIL fighters.
* Near Mar'a, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL staging area.

Iraq
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mosul, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL checkpoint, three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factory.
* Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL bed down location, an ISIL VBIED, and an ISIL staging area.
* Near Sinjar, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, and suppressed an ISIL sniper position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike cratered four ISIL-used roads.
* Near Fallujah, one strike destroyed two ISIL bed down locations.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike cratered two ISIL-used roads.
* Near Tikrit, one strike destroyed two ISIL bunkers.

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.

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, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.