PRESS RELEASE | July 5, 2016
July 5: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 05, 2016
Release # 20160705-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On July 4, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes using attack, bomber, 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, attack, ground-attack, 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 Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed six ISIL oil well heads.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Manbij, eight strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Washiyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
Iraq
* Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factory.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL trench.
* Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL IED factory.
* Near Qayyarah, three strikes destroyed an ISIL excavator, an ISIL aircraft hangar, two ISIL vehicles, 18 ISIL rocket rails, 11 ISIL rockets, an ISIL boat, and an ISIL checkpoint.
* Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed ISIL rocket fire.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL weapons caches, two ISIL tunnels, and four ISIL assembly areas.
Additionally, one strike from July 3 was not included on the July 4 strike release.
Syria
* Near Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
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.