Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, December 31, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and 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 Syria

Attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL building.

-- Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL fighting position, and wounded four ISIL fighters.

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

Strikes in Iraq

Fighter, attack, and bomber aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.

-- Near Mosul, nine strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, two ISIL staging locations, three ISIL headquarters, and destroyed 21 ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL staging area, 10 ISIL fighting positions, seven ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL sniper position, an ISIL rocket-propelled grenade position, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position and suppressed an ISIL mortar position and a light machine gun position.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.