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Press Release | Jan. 2, 2016

Jan. 2: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

January 2, 2016
Release # 20160102-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Jan. 1, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using fighter, fighter-attack, and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 25 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Coalition military forces conducted one strike in Iraq in support of Coalition operations using fighter aircraft.

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

Syria
* Near Abu Kamal, one strike struck an ISIL-used bridge.
* Near Ar Raqqah, three strikes struck three ISIL gas and oil separation plants.
* Near Ayn Isa, two strikes destroyed five ISIL buildings.


Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed three ISIL weapons caches.
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Kisik, nine strikes suppressed an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Mosul, three strikes destroyed 17 ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL VBIED facility.
* Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL heavy machine gun positions, three ISIL buildings, an ISIL vehicle, cratered two ISIL-used roads, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes destroyed seven ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL weapons caches, and an ISIL command and control node.
* Near Tal Afar, four strikes struck destroyed six ISIL bunkers and denied ISIL access to terrain.

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.