Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 26, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL tactical vehicles.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes struck an ISIL gas and oil separation plant and destroyed two ISIL oil wellheads.

-- Near Manbij, eight strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units; destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL improvised explosive device; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Mara, one strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike struck an ISIL staging facility.

-- Near Rutbah, a strike struck two ISIL vehicle bomb facilities.

-- Near Fallujah, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units; destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL boat, eight ISIL light machine guns, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL staging area, an ISIL vehicle bomb and two ISIL rocket-propelled grenade systems; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Mosul, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb storage facility and five bed-down locations.

-- Near Qayyarah, five strikes struck three ISIL tactical units; destroyed two ISIL boats, an ISIL assembly area, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL front-end loader; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes destroyed two ISIL boats, an ISIL front-end loader and an ISIL supply cache.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL assembly areas and damaged an ISIL vehicle.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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 counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

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 terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.