PRESS RELEASE | Aug. 1, 2016
July 30: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
July 30, 2016

Release # 20160730-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – On July 29, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes using bomber, attack, ground-attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using 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, 11 strikes struck 10 separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 12 ISIL fighting positions.
Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed and ISIL vehicle.
Iraq

Near Al Baghdadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL rocket rails, an ISIL bunker, and an ISIL storage facility.
Near Ar Rutbah, one strike destroyed an ISIL bulldozer.
Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
Near Hit, one strike produced inconclusive results.
Near Mosul, three strikes struck and ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL assembly area, and an ISIL mortar system.
Near Qayyarah, one strike struck and ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed ISIL mortar position.
Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system and suppressed an ISIL sniper 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.