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

Release # 20160518-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On May 17, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using attack, ground-attack, 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 bomber, 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 At Tanf, one strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.
* Near Manbij, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
* Near Mar’a, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL command and control node.

Iraq
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL mortar system, and an ISIL tunnel.
* Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns.
* Near Kisik, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL weapons caches, two ISIL vehicles, two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), and an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and three ISIL boats.

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.