PRESS RELEASE | Nov. 23, 2015
Nov. 23: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
November 23, 2015

Release # 20151123-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Nov. 22, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes using attack, ground-attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 19 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 Mar’a, two strikes destroyed an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL mortar tube, and an ISIL weapons cache.
* Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed an ISIL excavator and destroyed an ISIL earthen bridge.
* Near Al Hasakah, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL structures and an ISIL tactical vehicle.
* Near Al Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Ayn Isa, four strikes struck four separate tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and six ISIL structures.

Iraq
* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL staging area.
* Near Ar Rutbah, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) facility.
* Near Fallujah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded two ISIL fighters.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.
* Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Makhmur, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and two ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
* Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, eight ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL house borne improvised explosive device (HBIED), two ISIL recoilless rifles, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL building, and denied ISIL access to terrain.
* Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions.
* Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL bridge section.

Additionally on Nov. 21, two strikes occurred in Syria that were previously unreported:

* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL crude oil collection point.
* Near Al Hasakah and Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed 283 ISIL vehicles.

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.