PRESS RELEASE | Aug. 1, 2016
August 1: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
August 01, 2016

Release # 20160801-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – On July 31, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes using attack, bomber, 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 rocket artillery and attack, bomber, 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 Manbij, eight strikes struck eight separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, and ISIL-used engineering equipment.
Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.
Iraq

Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fueling station.
Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and suppressed an ISIL mortar system.
Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles, two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL-used road, and two ISIL assembly areas.
Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle.
Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.

Additionally, due to an administrative error, one strike was misreported near Ar Raqqah on the July 31 release. The correct assessment reads:

Syria

Near Ar Raqqah, three strikes destroyed six ISIL excavators.
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.