PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 9, 2016
Feb. 9: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
February 09, 2016

Release # 20160209-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Feb. 8, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted three strikes using attack aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 18 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 Kobani, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, seven strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and three ISIL staging areas and destroyed two ISIL rockets, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL front-end loader, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Fallujah, one strike destroyed an ISIL-used bridge.
* Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL mortar tube, and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL logistics facility and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL staging area, and two ISIL boats and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike suppressed an ISIL rocket fire position.

Additionally, one strike from Feb. 7 was not included on the Feb. 8 strike release:

Iraq
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL boat.

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.