PRESS RELEASE | April 19, 2016
April 19: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 19, 2016
Release # 20160419-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria and Iraq
SOUTHWEST ASIA- On April 18, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted one strike using 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 bomber, 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 Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed 10 ISIL rocket rails and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Al Huwayjah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL staging area.
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Kisik, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL tunnels and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Mosul, seven strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL supply caches, an ISIL fighting position, two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), an ISIL VBIED factory, an ISIL bed down location, and an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike struck an ISIL weapons storage facility.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed three ISIL rocket rails.
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.