Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 29, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 19 strikes consisting of 59 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 16 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS front-end loader.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an explosives facility and a weapons cache.

-- Near Raqqa, 12 strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, a logistics node and a vehicle-borne bomb.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of 43 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Qaim, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed a vehicle-borne-bomb facility.

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed 27 fighting positions, two mortar systems, two vehicle-borne bombs, two supply caches, a weapons cache and a tunnel.

Previous Strikes

Additionally, 43 strikes consisting of 68 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 17 and Aug. 26-27 that closed within the last 24 hours.

-- On June 17, near Raqqa, Syria, seven strikes destroyed six fighting positions and a command-and-control node.

-- On Aug. 26, near Raqqa, Syria, two strikes destroyed five fighting positions.

-- On Aug. 26, near Rawah, Iraq, a strike destroyed a vehicle-borne-bomb facility.

-- On Aug. 27, near Abu Kamal, Syria, a strike damaged an ISIS bridge.

-- On Aug. 27, near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed a command-and-control node.

-- On Aug. 27 near Raqqa, Syria, 24 strikes engaged 20 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 22 fighting positions, two anti-aircraft artillery systems and two logistics nodes.

-- On Aug. 27, near Qaim, Iraq, two strikes destroyed seven ISIS oil stills, five ISIS oil storage barrels and an ISIS-held building.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force 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.