PRESS RELEASE | Jan. 16, 2017
January 16: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

January 16, 2017
Release # 20170116-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Jan. 15, Coalition military forces conducted 18 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted five strikes coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

Syria
* Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed an oil pump jack.
* Near Ar Raqqah, eight strikes engaged six ISIL tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, a heavy machine gun, a vehicle, and a bridge; suppressed a heavy machine gun; and damaged a supply route.
* Near Tabaqah Dam, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units, destroyed two fighting positions, and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

Iraq
* Near Mosul, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed two tactical vehicles, six fighting positions, an ISIL-held building, and two heavy machine guns; suppressed three tactical units; and damaged a tunnel and five supply routes.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed two ISIL bunkers and a vehicle.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed an IED factory.

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. The information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on ‘Z’ or Greenwich Mean Time.

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.