PRESS RELEASE | May 2, 2016
May 2: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
May 02, 2016

Release # 20160502-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On May 1, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using attack, ground-attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 18 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, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL staging areas and two ISIL vehicles.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed an ISIL crane.
* Near Mar’a, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Fallujah, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL weapons cache, five ISIL tunnel entrances, four ISIL bunkers, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL bunker, 12 ISIL boats, an ISIL fuel truck and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL vehicles, two ISIL tunnel systems, three ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL command and control node, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tunnel system, and an two ISIL mortar systems.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL financial center and destroyed an ISIL mortar system, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed two ISIL machine guns and two ISIL mortar systems.

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.