PRESS RELEASE | May 12, 2016
May 12: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
May 12, 2016

Release # 20160512-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On May 11, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using 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 Al Shadaddi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Mar’a, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL staging facility and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and 12 ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Manbij, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL boat, an ISIL fighting position, and three ISIL staging areas.
* Near Bashir, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and two ISIL rocket rails.
* Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed nine ISIL rocket rails, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed an ISIL rocket system and an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

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.