PRESS RELEASE | May 21, 2016
May 21: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
May 21, 2016

Release # 2016021-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On May 20, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using bomber, ground-attack, 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, 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 weapons cache and destroyed an ISIL oil pump-jack and an ISIL checkpoint.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and three ISIL command and control nodes.

Iraq
* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Fallujah, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL improvised explosive device (IED) cache, two ISIL staging areas, and an ISIL excavator.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL-used bridge, and four ISIL-used culverts.
* Near Mosul, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, two ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL weapons cache, and an ISIL rocket rail.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL weapons cache and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
* Near Rawah, one strike struck an ISIL staging area and an ISIL safe house.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle storage area, two ISIL weapons caches, two ISIL command and control nodes, and an ISIL IED facilitation node.

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.