PRESS RELEASE | Nov. 17, 2015
Nov. 17: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
November 17, 2015

Release # 20151117-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Nov. 16, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six strikes using attack, fighter, and bomber aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, attack, and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets.

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

Syria
* Near Al Hasakah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL buildings, one ISIL sniper position, an ISIL machine gun position, and four ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Abu Kamal, one strike struck an ISIL gas and oil separation point.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes struck three ISIL controlled oil facilities.

Iraq
* Near Kirkuk, one strike suppressed an ISIL machine gun position.
* Near Kisik, five strikes struck three separate tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL light machine gun, and suppressed three ISIL machine gun positions.
* Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Ramadi, five strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL sniper positions, four ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL mortar position, an ISIL artillery position, two ISIL- used roads, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL headquarters, two ISIL fighting positions, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and suppressed an ISIL machine gun 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.

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, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the U.S.