PRESS RELEASE | March 17, 2016
March 17: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
March 17, 2016

Release # 20160317-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On March 16, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes using attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 20 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 Hawl, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Bayji, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Fallujah, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL staging area and an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Hit, four strikes struck two ISIL improvised weapons factories and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL improvised explosive device (IED), and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike destroyed an ISIL machine gun position.
* Near Kisik, two strikes destroyed three ISIL bed down locations and four ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Mosul, nine strikes struck seven ISIL propaganda sites and two ISIL manufacturing factories.

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.