Strikes Continue in Effort to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 27, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 24 strikes consisting of 40 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

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 20 strikes consisting of 27 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed four pieces of ISIS oil equipment and damaged an ISIS bridge.

-- Near Raqqah, 18 strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed 14 fighting positions, six logistics nodes, and three vehicles.

Strikes in Iraq, Earlier Strikes

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of 13 engagements against ISIS targets:

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

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed three ISIS-held buildings, two vehicles and a fighting position.

Officials also announced details today from 58 strikes consisting of 85 engagements conducted July 13-Aug. 25 in Syria and Iraq for which the information was not yet available in time for yesterday's report:

-- On July 13 near Raqqah, Syria, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a fighting position.

-- On July 16 near Raqqah, Syria, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

-- On July 19 near Raqqah, Syria, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- On July 21 near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, an anti-air artillery system, and a fighting position.

-- On July 22 near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a mortar system.

-- On July 23 near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed two ISIS wellheads.

-- On Aug. 24 near Raqqah, Syria, 11 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions, two command and control nodes, and a heavy machine gun.

-- On Aug. 25 near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed ISIS oil equipment.

-- On Aug. 25 near Raqqah, Syria, 31 strikes engaged 18 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 11 fighting positions, two command and control nodes, five vehicles, and three heavy machine guns.

-- On Aug. 25 near Al Huwayjah, Iraq, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a command and control node and an ISIS oil still.

-- On Aug. 25 near Tal Afar, Iraq, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed a staging area, and damaged three supply routes.

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.