PRESS RELEASE | May 4, 2016
May 4: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
May 04, 2016

Release # 20160504-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On May 3, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using ground-attack, fighter, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

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

Iraq
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Bashir, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle borne improvised device (VBIED).
* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Fallujah, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL VBIED, two ISIL bed down locations, six ISIL tunnel entrances, an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL improvised artillery piece, and degraded two ISIL trenches.
* Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Mosul, 10 strikes struck nine separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL headquarters and destroyed nine ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL heavy machine gun, three ISIL large machine guns, two ISIL weapons caches, four ISIL mortar systems, 17 ISIL vehicles, an ISIL bull dozer, two ISIL-used bridges, two ISIL VBIEDs, and an ISIL fuel truck.
* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

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.