PRESS RELEASE | June 9, 2016
June 9: Military Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria and Iraq
June 09, 2016

Release # 20160609-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On June 8, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes using bomber, fighter, attack, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 18 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and bomber, fighter, ground-attack, 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, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factory and destroyed six ISIL oil pump jacks and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Manbij, 11 strikes struck 10 separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL vehicles, and an ISIL mortar system and damaged a separate ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL improvised weapons factory.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed an ISIL VBIED.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 23 ISIL fighting positions, eight ISIL light machine guns, six ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL recoilless rifles, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL rocket propelled grenade system and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Haditha, two strikes struck an ISIL staging facility and destroyed three ISIL vehicles and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Kisik, one strike stuck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL tunnel system.
* Near Mosul, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.
* Near Qayyarah, five strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL weigh station, an ISIL bed down location, an ISIL headquarters, and an ISIL meeting site and destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL rocket rail and an ISIL supply cache.

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.