PRESS RELEASE | April 11, 2016
April 11: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 11, 2016

Release # 20160411-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 10, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and ground-attack, fighter, and attack 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 produced inconclusive results.
* Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions, seven ISIL vehicles, two ISIL tactical vehicles, and an ISIL house borne improvised explosive device (HBIED).

Iraq
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike destroyed an ISIL bed down location.
* Near Hit, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, six ISIL fighting positions, and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL rocket rail.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed three ISIL bed down locations, two ISIL supply caches, and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, four ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL staging areas, and an ISIL vehicle borne IED.

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.