PRESS RELEASE | June 12, 2016
June 12: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 12, 2016

Release # 20160612-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 11, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes using bomber, ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 20 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, 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 Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed two ISIL oil well heads.
• Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Manbij, 11 strikes struck 11 separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL vehicles, four ISIL fighting positions, and an ISIL mortar position.
• Near Mar’a, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL weapons storage facility, and an ISIL ammunition storage facility and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq
• Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed two ISIL artillery pieces and an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Bashir, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL assembly area, and an ISIL supply cache.
• Near Fallujah, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL vehicles, two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), an ISIL heavy machine gun, and six ISIL light machine guns and damaged two separate ISIL fighting positions and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Qayyarah, eight strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL weigh station and destroyed three ISIL mortar systems, 10 ISIL rocket rails, two ISIL VBIED facilities, and an ISIL assembly area and damaged an ISIL mortar system and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL VBIED storage facility and an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.
• Near Sinjar, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL rocket rail, an ISIL tactical vehicle, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL fighting position, and an ISIL storage area.
• Near Tal Afar, one strike suppressed an ISIL bunker.

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.