PRESS RELEASE | July 20, 2016
July 20: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 20, 2016

Release # 20160720-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On July 19, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted three strikes using bomber and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 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 Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL command and control node, and 12 ISIL vehicles.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed three ISIL weapons caches.
* Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL supply cache and suppressed an ISIL sniper position.
* Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and seven ISIL media sites and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL improvised explosive device factory.
* Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and suppressed two ISIL mortar positions and an ISIL machine gun position.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL media site.

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.