PRESS RELEASE | April 2, 2016
April 2: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 02, 2016

Release # 20160402-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 1, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 20 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 Al Hawl, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL bunkers, an ISIL mortar position, and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).

Iraq
* Near Al Qaim, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL VBIED, two ISIL fuel tankers, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL-used bridge, an ISIL barge, eight ISIL boats, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL command and control node, four ISIL assembly areas, and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Qayyarah, seven strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL weapons cache and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL command and control node, two ISIL vehicles, and an ISIL-used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
* Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL mortar firing position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed six ISIL rocket rails and an ISIL supply cache.

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.