PRESS RELEASE | April 14, 2016
April 14: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 14, 2016

Release # 20160414-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 13, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, ground-attack, and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria
* Near Al Hawl, two strikes produced inconclusive results.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed an ISIL oil pump jack.
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Hit, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL machine gun positions, an ISIL boat, an ISIL boat dock, seven ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL command and control node, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Kisik, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL bunker.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and an ISIL storage facility.
* Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL headquarters, and an ISIL financial headquarters and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes destroyed seven ISIL boats and an ISIL mortar position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

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.