PRESS RELEASE | Jan. 27, 2016
Jan.27: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
January 27, 2016

Release # 20160127-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Jan. 26, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack and fighter aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and 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 Hasakah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Raqqah, one strike destroyed six ISIL workover rigs.
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL weapons caches, an ISIL bunker, and damaged an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL excavator.
* Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL sniper position, two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL fuel truck, damaged a separate ISIL vehicle, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

Additionally, one strike from Jan. 25 was not included on the Jan. 26 strike release:

* Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed ISIL mortar fire.

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.

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