PRESS RELEASE | July 25, 2016
July 25: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 25, 2016
Release # 20160725-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On July 24, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes using bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, 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 Manbij, seven strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 15 ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Mar’a, six strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device, and an ISIL vehicle.
Iraq
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mosul, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, five ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL command and control node, and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed six ISIL rocket rails and an ISIL VBIED factory and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL weapons storage facility.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck three separate ISIL media facilities.
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.