PRESS RELEASE | June 30, 2016
June 30: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 30, 2016
Release # 20160630-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 29, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 19 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 Abu Kamal, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Manbij, six strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL mortar system, and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL staging facility and destroyed an ISIL bunker and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Al Qaim, one strike struck an ISIL VBIED facility.
* Near Bayji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL VBIED.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 42 ISIL vehicles and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 120 ISIL vehicles, an ISIL tactical vehicle, and three ISIL VBIEDs.
* Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL staging facility.
* Near Hit, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 13 ISIL vehicles and damaged another.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed eight ISIL rocket rails and five ISIL rocket systems.
* Near Ramadi, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL mortar system, and an ISIL staging area and damaged two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Waleed, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL weapons caches.
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.