PRESS RELEASE | June 25, 2016
June 25: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 25, 2016

Release # 20160625-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 24, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes using 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 rocket artillery and 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 Ar Raqqah, two strikes struck two ISIL logistical routes and an ISIL administration facility.
* Near Manbij, eight strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 11 ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed three ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factories, an ISIL VBIED, an ISIL weapons cache, and an ISIL bunker and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Bayji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL rocket rail, and an ISIL front-end loader.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL boat, and two ISIL light machine guns.
* Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL weapons cache and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Mosul, six strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL VBIED factory and destroyed four ISIL vehicles and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Qayyarah, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL boat and four ISIL assembly areas and suppressed two separate ISIL tactical units and three separate ISIL mortar positions and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 10 ISIL boats, an ISIL staging area, and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL mortar system.

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.