February 01, 2016
Release # 20160201-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Jan. 31, coalition military forces
continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition
military forces conducted five strikes using attack and fighter aircraft.
Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes coordinated
with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, fighter, 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 Al Hawl, one strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL
tunnel systems.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed three ISIL front end loaders.
* Near Manbij, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL
mortar system, two ISIL fighting positions, and two ISIL buildings.
Iraq
* Near Kirkuk, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL excavator.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Ramadi, six strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed five ISIL staging areas, two ISIL rocket rails, two ISIL fighting
positions, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive
device (VBIED), and an ISIL VBIED facility.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and two ISIL fighting
positions.
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.