PRESS RELEASE | Aug. 4, 2016
August 4: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
August 4, 2016
Release # 20160804-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Aug. 3, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using 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 attack, 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 Near At Tanf, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Manbij, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, four ISIL fighting positions, and an ISIL command and control node.
Iraq
* Near Near Al Baghdadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL storage facility, an ISIL weapons cache, and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike destroyed an ISIL weapons cache and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles.br> * Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device facility.
* Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed two ISIL VBIEDs and two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and two ISIL fighting positions and suppressed ISIL mortar position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL supply caches, two ISIL tunnel entrances, and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Qayyarah, 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.