April 20, 2016
Release # 20160420-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST
ASIA
— On April 19, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL
terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces
conducted three strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft
against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces
conducted 21 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government
of Iraq using bomber, ground-attack, fighter, and remotely piloted
aircraft against ISIL targets. Coalition military forces also conducted
one strike in Syria in support of Coalition operations using attack
aircraft.
The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:
Syria
* Near Manbij, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
*
Near Mar'a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and damaged a third ISIL fighting
position.
Iraq
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL cache and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike produced inconclusive results.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bulldozer and an ISIL assembly area.
*
Near Kisik, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL assembly area, 24 ISIL rocket rails,
and an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
*
Near Mosul, nine strikes struck an ISIL staging area, an ISIL-used
power plant, and four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two
ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL supply caches, an ISIL mortar system,
and two ISIL vehicles and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near
Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL
supply cache and five ISIL asphalt steamrollers.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
Coalition military forces conducted one strike in Syria in support of Coalition operations using attack aircraft:
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck inoperable Coalition equipment denying ISIL access in support of Coalition operations.
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.
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.
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, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the
United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria
include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands,
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the
United States.