July 03, 2016
Release # 20160703-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST
ASIA — On July 2, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL
terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces
conducted eight strikes using attack and bomber and remotely piloted
aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military
forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the
Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and 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 Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed two ISIL cranes and an ISIL vehicle.
*
Near Manbij, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Bayji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and denied ISIL access to terrain.
*
Near Mosul, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed eight ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL command and control node,
and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Qayyarah, three strikes
struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL assembly
areas, three ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL mortar position, two ISIL
vehicles, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL front-end
loader, two ISIL bulldozers, and an ISIL oil tanker.
* Near
Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and
destroyed an ISIL fighting position, five ISIL vehicles, an ISIL light
machine gun, and an ISIL boat and damaged an ISIL fighting position.
*
Near Tal Afar, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL
improvised weapons factory, and an ISIL-used bridge and destroyed an
ISIL bunker.
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.