Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, November 20, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, attack, ground-attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 20 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Beiji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL anti-air artillery pieces, two ISIL heavy machine guns, and two ISIL buildings.

-- Near Kisik, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL light machine guns, four ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicles, two ISIL supply caches, and an ISIL bunker.

-- Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL weapons vehicle borne improvised explosive device manufacturing facility.

-- Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck two ISIL gas and oil separation plants and an ISIL petroleum refinement facility.

-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL boat, an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb, two ISIL staging areas, damaged an ISIL headquarters building, suppressed an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL building and an ISIL light machine gun.

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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

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 conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.