PRESS RELEASE | Nov. 20, 2016
November 20: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR
November 20, 2016
Release # 20161120-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST ASIA — On Nov. 19, Coalition military forces conducted 23 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes using attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.
Syria
* Near Ar Raqqah, six strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed seven oil production machines, one vehicle; and damaged a supply route and an ISIL training camp.
* Near Ayn Isa, nine strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units; destroyed two artillery pieces, two fighting positions, and a tank; and damaged a supply route.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strikes destroyed one oil well head.
* Near Manbij, one strike destroyed an armored vehicle.
Iraq
* Near Al Qaim, two strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and a VBIED.
* Near Mosul, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL-held buildings, two VBIEDs, an IED, a VBIED facility, and a mortar system.
* Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two bunkers and a vehicle.
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 information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on ‘Z’ or Greenwich Mean Time.
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, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.