PRESS RELEASE | July 26, 2016
July 26: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 26, 2016

Release # 20160726-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On July 25, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using attack, ground-attack, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using 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, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL house borne improvised explosive device.

Iraq
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Hit, one strike produced inconclusive results.
* Near Mosul, six strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL weapons facility, an ISIL vehicle borne IED factory, and two ISIL media sites and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL mortar systems and an ISIL artillery piece and suppressed an ISIL mortar firing position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area, two ISIL vehicles, five ISIL rockets, and six ISIL rocket rails and suppressed an ISIL mortar position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck an ISIL check point and suppressed an ISIL machine gun position.

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.