PRESS RELEASE | April 20, 2016
April 20: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 20, 2016

Release # 20160420-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 19, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted three strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, ground-attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Coalition military forces also conducted one strike in Syria in support of Coalition operations using attack aircraft.

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

Syria
* Near Manbij, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and damaged a third ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL cache and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike produced inconclusive results.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bulldozer and an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Kisik, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL assembly area, 24 ISIL rocket rails, and an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Mosul, nine strikes struck an ISIL staging area, an ISIL-used power plant, and four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL supply caches, an ISIL mortar system, and two ISIL vehicles and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL supply cache and five ISIL asphalt steamrollers.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

Coalition military forces conducted one strike in Syria in support of Coalition operations using attack aircraft:

* Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck inoperable Coalition equipment denying ISIL access in support of Coalition operations.

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.