PRESS RELEASE | May 26, 2016
May 26: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
May 26, 2016

Release # 2016026-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On May 25, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes using fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 24 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft and against ISIL targets.

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

Syria
* Near Al Shaddadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Ayn Isa, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Palmyra, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

Iraq
* Near Fallujah, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tunnels, four ISIL vehicles, an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL weapons cache, and three ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL bunkers, and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
* Near Haditha, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
* Near Hit, one strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles.
* Near Mosul, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units, five ISIL headquarters, an ISIL media center, and an ISIL communication headquarters and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL weapons cache, and an ISIL supply cache.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck two ISIL rocket production facilities and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL rocket position.
* Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes suppressed two ISIL mortar positions.
* Near Tal Afar, eight strikes struck eight ISIL-used bridges and an ISIL-used culvert and suppressed an ISIL mortar 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.