PRESS RELEASE | Aug. 6, 2016
August 6: Military strikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
August 6, 2016

Release # 20160806-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – On Aug. 5, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, 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 Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed an ISIL pump jack and damaged an ISIL oil tanker.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed an ISIL wellhead.
* Near Manbij, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL supply cache.

Iraq

* Near Albu Hayat, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL fighting position, and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL weapons facility, and an ISIL cement plant.
* Near Qayyarah, five strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 46 ISIL rockets, 40 ISIL rocket rail systems, nine ISIL boats, two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL recruiting station, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device facility, an ISIL assembly area, and an ISIL vehicle storage facility and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position and suppressed an ISIL rocket position and an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike suppressed an ISIL rocket propelled grenade system and an ISIL light machine gun.

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, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.