PRESS RELEASE | Jan. 7, 2016
Jan. 7: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
January 7, 2016

Release # 20160107-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Jan. 6, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes using fighter, attack, and bomber aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery, fighter, fighter-attack, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

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

Syria
* Near Manbij, 14 strikes destroyed 24 ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL buildings, suppressed an ISIL vehicle’s movement, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL staging facility and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike destroyed 30 ISIL rockets, an ISIL rocket rail, and an ISIL building.
* Near Habbaniyah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL staging areas, two ISIL buildings, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL tactical vehicle.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), an ISIL fighting position, two ISIL vehicles, and wounded an ISIL fighter.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL VBIED factory.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 11 ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL bed down locations, an ISIL tunnel, and four ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Ramadi, six strikes struck two large ISIL tactical units and destroyed 13 ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL heavy machine guns, four ISIL VBIED staging facilities, an ISIL staging area, three ISIL buildings, three ISIL tactical vehicles, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

* Near Sinjar, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.

Additionally, one strike from Jan. 5 was not included on the Jan. 6 strike release.

Iraq
* Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL building, and cratered an ISIL used road.

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.