PRESS RELEASE | July 3, 2016
July 3: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 03, 2016

Release # 20160703-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On July 2, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using attack and bomber and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and 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, two strikes destroyed two ISIL cranes and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Manbij, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Bayji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed eight ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL command and control node, and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL mortar position, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL front-end loader, two ISIL bulldozers, and an ISIL oil tanker.
* Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, five ISIL vehicles, an ISIL light machine gun, and an ISIL boat and damaged an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Tal Afar, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL improvised weapons factory, and an ISIL-used bridge and destroyed an ISIL bunker.

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.