PRESS RELEASE | Sept. 22, 2016
September 22: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
CJTFOIR

September 22, 2016
Release # 20160922-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTHWEST ASIA – On Sept. 21, coalition military forces conducted 29 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 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 Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed an ISIL oil well head.
* Near Al Shadaddi, one strike damaged an ISIL supply route.
* Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL weapons factory and barracks.
* Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle, four oil tanker trucks, an oil tanker trailer, two oil well heads, and damaged six supply routes.
* Near Manbij, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and damaged a checkpoint.
* Near Mar’a, seven strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a vehicle, and an anti-air artillery system.

Iraq

* Near Al Baghdadi, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a repeater tower and a bunker.
* Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units and destroyed three weapons caches, and suppressed a sniper firing position.
* Near Qayyarah, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed 38 vehicles, four watercraft, and a land bridge; damaged a culvert entrance; and suppressed a tactical unit.
* Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactial unit and destroyed two vehicles, two supply caches, and a fuel tank.
* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and an artillery system.
* Near Tal Afar, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a checkpoint.

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.