PRESS RELEASE | March 13, 2016
March 13: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
March 13, 2016

Release # 20160313-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On March 12, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 12 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, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Manbij, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL mortar position, and an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL rocket position.
* Near Al Qaim, one strike struck an ISIL financial storage center.
* Near Bayji, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), three ISIL fighting positions, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike struck an ISIL used bridge.
* Near Sinjar, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL assembly area, and an ISIL rocket 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.