PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 16, 2017
February 16: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

February 16, 2017
Release # 20170216-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Feb. 15, Coalition military forces conducted 24 strikes consisting of 35 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes consisting of 19 engagements using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIS targets.

* Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed four oil pump jacks.

* Near Al Shadaddi, four strikes engaged an ISIS staging area, destroyed an ISIS headquarters and a weapons facility and damaged four supply routes.

* Near Ar Raqqah, five strikes destroyed three tunnels, an oil pump jack and an oil wellhead.

* Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed four oil refinement stills, two oil tanker trucks, an oil wellhead and an ISIS headquarters.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 16 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter and artillery against ISIS targets.

* Near Mosul, eight strikes destroyed four weapons caches, two VBIED facilities, and an IED facility and damaged three supply routes.

* Near Rawah, one strike destroyed a bunker.

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group’s ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world.

This Coalition strike release contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing, or remotely piloted aircraft, rocket propelled artillery and some ground based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets. 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.

A strike, as defined in the Coalition releases, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect in that location. For example, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined.

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.