PRESS RELEASE | Aug. 17, 2016
August 17: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTF-OIR
Southwest Asia – August 17, 2016
Release # 20160817-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Aug. 16, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes using bomber, ground-attack, attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted eight 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 Abu Kamal, two strikes struck an ISIL gas oil separation plant and a crude oil collection point.
*Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed an ISIL oil wellhead.
*Near Manbij, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device, an ISIL mortar system, two ISIL artillery system, and an ISIL munitions cache.
*Near Mar’a, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, and an ISIL command and control node, and one strike produced inconclusive results.
*Near Palmyra, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL anti-air artillery system.
Iraq
*Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and two ISIL mortar systems.
*Near Mosul, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL oil black market and destroyed 15 ISIL petroleum, oil, and lubricant trucks, six ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL assembly areas, 10 ISIL vehicles, two ISIL mortar systems, five ISIL heavy machine guns, and an ISIL tunnel and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
*Near Ramadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
*Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and suppressed an ISIL mortar firing position.
*Near Sultan Abdallah, 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, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.