PRESS RELEASE | April 23, 2016
April 23: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 23, 2016
Release # 20160423-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 22, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes using attack, fighter, 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 bomber, fighter, ground-attack, 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, one strike struck an ISIL weapons factory.
* Near Al Hawl, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL checkpoint.
* Near Manbij, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles.
* Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed an ISIL staging area.
* Near Washiyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, eight strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, two ISIL weapons storage facilities, and three ISIL bed down locations and destroyed three ISIL bunkers and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Al Qaim, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) facility.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL VBIED.
* Near Fallujah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL-used bridge, an ISIL fighting position, two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL bunker, and an ISIL tunnel system.
* Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL recoilless rifle.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike destroyed an ISIL command and control node and an ISIL-used bridge.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL weapons caches, an ISIL check point, two ISIL vehicles, and an ISIL VBIED.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed two ISIL mortar systems.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike produced inconclusive results.
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.