PRESS RELEASE | Jan. 26, 2017
January 26: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

January 26, 2017
Release # 20170126-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Jan. 25, Coalition military forces conducted 28 strikes consisting of 50 engagements against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 27 engagements using attack, bomber, and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets.

Syria
* Near Ar Raqqah, 12 strikes engaged eight ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, three tactical vehicles, two vehicles, a tunnel, a bunker, and an ISIL checkpoint.
* Near Ayn Isa, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, a tactical vehicle, and a heavy machine gun.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed an oil well head and an oil pump jack.

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 ten strikes consisting of 23 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.

Iraq
* Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed three mortar systems and two watercraft; and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Sinjar, six strikes destroyed three ISIL headquarters and a weapons storage facility.
* Near Tuz, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three VBIEDs, a tactical vehicle and a front-end loader.

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.