PRESS RELEASE | April 18, 2016
April 18: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 18, 2016

Release # 20160418-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 17, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted three strikes using ground-attack 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 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 struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Manbij, two strikes destroyed two ISIL anti-air artillery pieces.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, three strikes struck an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL communications facility, and an ISIL staging area.
* Near Fallujah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL vehicles.
* Near Kisik, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL rocket team.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL mortar positions, two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL boat and suppressed an ISIL rocket team.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL safe house.
* Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

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 poseto Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community.

The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group’sability 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.