PRESS RELEASE | April 28, 2016
April 28: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 28, 2016

Release # 20160428-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 27, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using attack and ground-attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, ground-attack, and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
* Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting position and four ISIL vehicles.
* Near Washiyah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL command and control node and five ISIL vehicles.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL bunker, and two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED).
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL logistics facility.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL rocket rails, four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL staging area, and suppressed an ISIL rocket position.
* Near Hit, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL-used bridge, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Mosul, one strike struck an improvised weapons facility.
* Near Qayyarah, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL mortar positions, four ISIL assembly areas, two ISIL VBIEDs, and denied ISIL access to terrain and suppressed 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.