PRESS RELEASE | June 24, 2016
June 24: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 24, 2016
Release # 20160624-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 23, 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 16 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and bomber, 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 Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed three ISIL oil well heads.
* Near Manbij, eight strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL vehicles.
* Near Mar’a, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel system and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance, an ISIL weapons cache, and an ISIL bulldozer.
* Near Albu Hayat, two strikes struck an ISIL logistics facility and an ISIL bed down location.
* Near Bayji, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, five ISIL vehicles, an ISIL tactical vehicle, two ISIL weapons caches, and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Fallujah, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL boats and an ISIL staging area.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Qayyarah, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factory and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL tunnel and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL staging area, and an ISIL rocket propelled grenade system.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed an ISIL trench.
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.