PRESS RELEASE | March 18, 2016
March 18: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
March 18, 2016

Release # 20160318-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On March 17, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes using ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria
* Near Al Hawl, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, damaged an ISIL fighting position and suppressed a second fighting position.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
* Near Mar’a, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tunnel and an ISIL rocket position.
* Near Kisik, three strikes destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL command and control node.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL rocket rail, an ISIL used bridge section, and three ISIL vehicles.
* Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine gun positions.
* Near Fallujah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

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.

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.