May 22, 2016
Release # 2016022-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST
ASIA — On May 21, 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 14
strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using
fighter 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 destroyed two ISIL oil pump-jacks.
* Near Mar'a, two strikes struck an ISIL command and control node and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL ammunition cache.
* Near Fallujah, one strike destroyed two ISIL bunkers and two ISIL fighting positions.
*
Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two ISIL tactical units and
destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Haditha, one strike produced inconclusive results.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL bulldozer.
*
Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL
weapons cache, two ISIL assembly areas, and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL assembly area.
*
Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL vehicle borne improvised device
(VBIED) facility and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
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.