PRESS RELEASE | Dec. 21, 2015
Dec. 21: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
December 21, 2015

Release # 20151221-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Dec. 20, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted three strikes using ground-attack and remotely piloted aircraft. In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, fighter, bomber, 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 Mar’a, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL staging area and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL road obstacle and an ISIL improvised explosive device (IED).

Iraq
* Near Bayji, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL RPG, an ISIL heavy machine gun, seven ISIL vehicles, two ISIL caches, and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mosul, six strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL weapons storage facility, and an ISIL weapons cache and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL mortar tube, three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL checkpoint, two ISIL vehicles, and suppressed an ISIL light machine gun.
* Near Ramadi, four strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed eight ISIL buildings, eight ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL staging area, an ISIL command and control node, an ISIL tactical vehicle, three ISIL heavy machine guns, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

Additionally, there was an additional strike from Dec. 19 that was not included on the Dec. 20 strike release:

* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck five ISIL gas and oil separation points and two ISIL crude oil collection points.

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.

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, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.