PRESS RELEASE | Oct. 2, 2016
October 2: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

October 2, 2016
Release # 20161002-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – On Oct. 1, coalition military forces conducted 19 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery against ISIL targets.

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

Syria
* Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed two oil pump jacks and damaged two supply routes.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed four oil well heads and four oil tanker trucks.
* Near Manbij, five strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions and a vehicle.
* Near Mar’a, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions and a vehicle.

Iraq
* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIL modular oil refinery.
* Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed an ISIL homemade explosives cache.
* Near Bayji, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a mortar system and a supply cache.
* Near Hit, one strike destroyed a mortar system and a weapons cache.
* Near Kisik, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a staging area.
* Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed two ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL-held buildings, four tunnel entrances, and a command and control node.
* Near Ramadi, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed a mortar system; and suppressed a mortar firing 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, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.