September 28: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

Release No: 16-085 Sept. 28, 2016 PRINT | E-MAIL

September 28, 2016
Release # 20160928-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – On Sept. 27, coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 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 Shadaddi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed an ISIL pump jack.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed 12 oil tanker trucks, two oil well heads, and disabled a bridge along an ISIL supply route.
* Near Manbij, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions.
* Near Mar'a, five strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions and a mortar system.

Iraq

* Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed an ISIL VBIED facility.
* Near Kisik, one strike produced inconclusive results.
* Near Mosul, four strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, suppressed a mortar system, and destroyed an anti-air artillery system and a tunnel.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL vehicles and a mortar system.
* Near Ramadi, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and damaged an excavator.

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, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

CJTFOIR