PRESS RELEASE | March 23, 2016
March 23: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
March 23, 2016

Release # 20160323-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On March 22, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 17 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 Manbij, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Mar’a, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL improvised explosive device (IED) cache, an ISIL tunnel, and four ISIL vehicles.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL weapons storage facility.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL front end loader, an ISIL machine gun position, and an ISIL bed down location.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL staging areas.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and three ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL used bridge section.
* Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL front end loader.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Hit, two strikes destroyed an ISIL staging area and an ISIL supply cache.

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.