PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 8, 2017
February 8: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

February 08, 2017
Release # 20170208-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Feb. 7, Coalition military forces conducted 43 strikes consisting of 92 engagements against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

Syria
In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 31 strikes consisting of 41 engagements using attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

* Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five oil well heads.
* Near Al Bab, six strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed a fighting position, a tunnel system; and damaged seven ISIL-held buildings.
* Near Raqqah, 20 strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units; destroyed eight fighting positions, four tunnel systems, destroyed three tunnels, two vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, two oil storage tanks, a VBIED facility, an engineering equipment piece, an unmanned aerial vehicle storage site, and a tactical vehicle; and damaged two supply routes.
* Near Palmyra, two strikes destroyed four excavators, two vehicles, two VBIEDs, a dump truck, a bulldozer, and a front-end loader.

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 12 strikes consisting of 51 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft; as well as artillery against ISIL targets.

* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike destroyed a VBIED.
* Near Kirkuk, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mosul, nine strikes engaged six ISIL tactical unit and two ISIL staging areas; destroyed 12 watercraft, eight cranes, seven engineering equipment pieces, five vehicles, four supply caches, two tunnels, two mortar systems, a front-end loader, a weapons cache, a fighting position, a tactical vehicle, a weapons facility, and a VBIED facility; and damaged nine supply routes.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike damaged four supply routes.

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.