PRESS RELEASE | July 14, 2016
July 14: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 14, 2016

Release # 20160714-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On July 13, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes using bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, fighter, 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 Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed an ISIL front-end loader.
* Near Al Shadaddi, one strike destroyed an ISIL excavator.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed two ISIL oil wellheads.
* Near Manbij, nine strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 14 ISIL fighting positions and damaged two separate ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
* Near Haditha, one strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
* Near Hit, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL mortar systems and an ISIL mortar cache.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Mosul, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Qayyarah, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL weapons storage facility and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL tactical vehicle, and four ISIL mortar systems and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL staging area and damaged a separate ISIL fighting position.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.

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.

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, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.