PRESS RELEASE | April 4, 2016
April 4: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
April 04, 2016

Release # 20160404-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On April 3, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using 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 Hasakah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
* Near Al Hawl, six strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece, three ISIL vehicles, and two ISIL tactical vehicles, and four ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Ar Raqqah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL workover rig, an ISIL front-end loader, and four ISIL pump jacks.
* Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL VBIEDs.
* Near Idlib, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL buildings.
* Near Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Hit, three strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL VBIED, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL recoilless rifle, and an ISIL staging area and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Kisik, one strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL command and control node, and an ISIL tactical vehicle and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed an ISIL weapons storage facility and an ISIL staging facility.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 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.