PRESS RELEASE | Jan. 1, 2016
Jan. 1: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
January 1, 2016

Release # 20160101-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Dec. 31, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 24 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using fighter, fighter-attack, and bomber aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Iraq
* Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) facility and destroyed two ISIL buildings.
* Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns, six ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL command and control node, seven ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL trench, and an ISIL VBIED.
* Near Ramadi, four strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL VBIED facility, five ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, three strikes destroyed an ISIL fighting position and suppressed two ISIL heavy machine gun positions.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed three ISIL weapons caches, an ISIL command and control node, and six ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Tal Afar, 11 strikes destroyed nine ISIL bunkers, five ISIL-used culverts, and four ISIL-used bridges.

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.