PRESS RELEASE | March 10, 2016
March 10: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
March 10, 2016

Release # 20160310-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On March 9, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes using attack, fighter 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 ground-attack, attack, and 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, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and an ISIL logistics facility.
* Near Al Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed an ISIL rocket rail.
* Near Ramadi, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL supply caches, 11 ISIL improvised explosive devices (IED), three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL VBIED, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, five strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL tactical vehicle, 12 ISIL rocket rails, an ISIL supply cache, and six ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting 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.

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.