PRESS RELEASE | April 9, 2016
April 9: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 09, 2016
Release # 20160409-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 8, 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 21 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, ground-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 Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed an ISIL oil separator.
* Near Manbij, one strike destroyed an ISIL rocket rail, seven ISIL rockets, and an ISIL mortar system.
Iraq
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike destroyed two ISIL rocket rails and 22 rockets.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar system and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Hit, four strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL anti-air artillery piece, 30 ISIL boats, and an ISIL tactical vehicle.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Kisik, two strikes destroyed an ISIL command and control node and an ISIL tunnel system.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL financial storage center and destroyed three ISIL rocket rails.
* Near Qayyarah, four strikes struck an ISIL weapons storage facility and destroyed two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL headquarters.
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.