PRESS RELEASE | June 28, 2016
June 28: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 28, 2016
Release # 20160628-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 27, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Coalition military forces also conducted one strike in Iraq in support of Coalition operations using fighter aircraft.
The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:
Syria
* Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL-used bridge.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL gas and oil separation plant.
* Near Manbij, seven strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, and an ISIL anti-tank guided weapon and damaged three ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL fighting positions.
Iraq
* Near Bashir, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL tunnel system.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, an ISIL front-end loader, seven ISIL vehicles, two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and an ISIL staging area and damaged two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL anti-aircraft gun and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mosul, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle, eight ISIL rocket rails, an ISIL headquarters, and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar system.
Coalition military forces conducted one strike in Iraq in support of Coalition operations using fighter aircraft:
* Near Bayji, 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.