PRESS RELEASE | April 7, 2016
April 7: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 07, 2016
Release # 20160407-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 6, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 19 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 Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL front-end loader, disabled seven ISIL well-heads and neutralized an ISIL pump-jack.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL rocket system, four ISIL vehicles, three ISIL excavators, and three ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL home-made explosives (HME) cache.
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed two ISIL-used bridges.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL front end loader, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL supply cache, three ISIL assembly areas, and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel system.
* Near Mosul, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tunnel system, an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL fighting position, and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.
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.
Ground-based artillery fired in counter-fire or in fire support to maneuver roles are not classified as a strike as defined by CJTF-OIR.
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.