PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 2, 2017
February 2: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

February 02, 2017
Release # 20170202-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Feb. 1, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 38 engagements against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes consisting of 19 engagements using attack, bomber, and fighter aircraft as well as artillery against ISIL targets.

Syria
* Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed four oil wellheads, two oil storage tanks and an oil pump jack.
* Near Al Bab, one strike destroyed four ISIL-held buildings.
* Near Ar Raqqah, seven strikes destroyed an oil storage tank, an oil barrel, an oil inlet manifold, an oil separation tank, a VBIED, a tunnel, and a weapons storage facility; and damaged a supply route.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed two oil pump jacks, an oil tanker truck and an oil well head.

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 five strikes consisting of 19 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft as well as artillery against ISIL targets.

Iraq
* Near Kisik, one strike engaged an ISIL staging area.
* Near Mosul, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and an ISIL staging area; and destroyed three fighting positions, two vehicles, two VBIED factories, a tunnel entrance, a supply cache and a weapons cache; and damaged a supply route.

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 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.