PRESS RELEASE | March 16, 2018
March 16: Military airstrikes continue against Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

Mar. 16, 2018

Release # 20180316-02

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to strike Daesh targets in designated parts of Syria and Iraq.

Ongoing operations by Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by CJTF-OIR efforts, demonstrate that much work remains to defeat Daesh here. The Coalition and our partners continue to exert pressure on Daesh senior leaders and associates and to degrade, disrupt and dismantle Daesh structures and remove the extremist terrorists throughout Iraq and Syria. This will prevent the terrorist group’s ability to regroup and resume its capacity to threaten citizens of all nations.

Weekly Strike Summary

Between Mar. 9 and Mar. 15, Coalition military forces conducted 23 strikes consisting of 37 engagements in Syria and Iraq.

On Mar. 15 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of two engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed a Daesh observation post.

On Mar. 15 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed a Daesh supply route.

• Near Qayyarah, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit.

On Mar. 14 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of four engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Al Shadaddi, one strike destroyed a Daesh-held building.

On Mar. 14 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of seven engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Rutbah, two strikes engaged a Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh-held buildings, two Daesh vehicles and three fighting positions.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria on Mar. 13, 2018.

On Mar. 13 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of six engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Baghdad, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit.

• Near Rutbah, one strike damaged a Daesh tunnel.

• Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged a Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh watercrafts and a fighting position.

On Mar. 12 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of two engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Al Shadaddi, one strike destroyed a Daesh-held building.

On Mar. 12 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of three engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Rutbah, two strikes engaged two Daesh tactical units and destroyed a Daesh tunnel and a Daesh vehicle.

On Mar. 11 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

• Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit and destroyed a Daesh drone.

On Mar. 11 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of four engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Hawijah, three strikes engaged two Daesh tactical units and destroyed a Daesh camp and a tunnel.

On Mar. 10 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed a Daesh-held building.

• Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit.

On Mar. 10 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

• Near Baghdad, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit.

On Mar. 9 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of three engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged two Daesh tactical units and destroyed a Daesh-held building and a weapons cache.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Mar. 9, 2018.

Additionally, we received late reporting of one strike consisting of three engagements conducted in Iraq against Daesh targets on Mar. 8 near Tal Afar, destroying a Daesh tunnel.

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy Daesh in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group’s ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world.

This Coalition strike release contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing, or remotely piloted aircraft, rocket propelled artillery and ground-based tactical artillery.

A strike, as defined in the Coalition release, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect in that location. For example, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone Daesh vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of Daesh-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined.

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. The information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on ‘Z’ or Greenwich Mean Time.