PRESS RELEASE | March 21, 2016
March 21: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
March 21, 2016

Release # 20160321-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On March 20, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using 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 Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Kobani, one strike destroyed an ISIL excavator.
* Near Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Hit, one strike produced inconclusive results.
* Near Kisik, one strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and two ISIL fighting postions.
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed three ISIL supply caches.

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.