May 05, 2016
Release # 20160505-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST
ASIA — On May 4, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL
terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces
conducted three strikes using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL
targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15
strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using
ground-attack, fighter, bomber, 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 Mar'a, three strikes struck an ISIL logistics facility, an ISIL
vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) facility and an ISIL
ammunition storage center.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL VBIED.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed two ISIL tunnel entrances.
*
Near Fallujah, six strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units
and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun,
an ISIL anti-aircraft artillery system, three ISIL tunnel entrances, an
ISIL mortar system, an ISIL VBIED, an ISIL weapons cache, and four ISIL
bed down locations.
* Near Kisik, one strike struck a large ISIL
tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy
machine guns, three ISIL mortar positions, and four ISIL assembly areas.
*
Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, one
heavy machine gun, 10 ISIL mortar systems, three ISIL rocket rails, and
suppressed an ISIL heavy machine gun position.
* Near Sultan
Abdallah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an
ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL mortar
system, an ISIL vehicle, and suppressed an ISIL heavy machine gun
position and an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL weapons facility.
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.