PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 11, 2017
February 11: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

February 11, 2017
Release # 20170211-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Feb. 10, Coalition military forces conducted 35 strikes consisting of 80 engagements against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

Syria
In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes consisting of 30 engagements using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

* Near Al Bab, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units.
* Near Ar Raqqah, 10 strikes engaged four ISIL tactical unit; destroyed three tactical vehicles, three fighting positions, two vehicles, an ISIL headquarters, a tunnel system, and a weapons storage facility.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.
* Near Palmyra, nine strikes engaged seven ISIL staging areas and destroyed two tactical vehicles.

Iraq
The Iraqi Security Forces are leading the Coalition’s fight to rid Iraq of ISIL. They are willing to take the brunt of the fighting to liberate their country and do not seek or desire the Coalition’s participation in direct ground combat operations. The Government of Iraq welcomes the Coalition because we are assisting them with our unique capabilities, at their request.

Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes consisting of 50 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft; as well as artillery and rocket artillery against ISIL targets.

* Near Al Huwijah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building.
* Near Kirkuk, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed a logistic node and a vehicle.
* Near Kisik, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed an ISIL checkpoint, a supply cache, and a bunker.
* Near Mosul, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed seven front-end loaders, four watercraft, three mortar systems, two excavators, two supply caches, a vehicle, and a barge; damaged 32 supply routes; and suppressed a mortar team and a sniper team.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed a UAV launch site; and damaged six supply routes.
* Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIL staging area and destroyed a VBIED factory.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL-held building.

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 engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location.
For example, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIL-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility 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 information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on ‘Z’ or Greenwich Mean Time.
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.