PRESS RELEASE | Dec. 26, 2015
Dec. 26: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
December 26, 2015
Release # 20151226-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Dec. 25, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft. In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using fighter and bomber 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 wounded an ISIL fighter.
* Near Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL building and wounded an ISIL fighter.
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
Iraq
* Near Fallujah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL tunnels, two ISIL improvised explosive device (IED) factories, and wounded an ISIL fighter.
* Near Mosul, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tactical vehicles, six ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL vehicles, two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factories, two ISIL heavy machine gun positions, an ISIL sniper position, two ISIL house borne improvised explosive devices (HBIED), and wounded two ISIL fighters.
* Near Sinjar, four strikes destroyed three ISIL-used bridges and an ISIL-used culvert.
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.