PRESS RELEASE | June 27, 2016
June 27: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 27, 2016

Release # 20160627-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 26, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 23 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 Manbij, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tunnels and damaged an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance and damaged an ISIL bunker.
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL training facility.
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike struck an ISIL improvised weapons facility.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL bunker.
* Near Mosul, six strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles.
* Near Qayyarah, nine strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL boat, two ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL vehicles, three ISIL excavators, four ISIL oil tankers, an ISIL tactical vehicle, an ISIL tunnel entrance, and an ISIL front-end loader and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL tunnel, an ISIL vehicle, 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.