Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 31, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 31 strikes consisting of 51 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 21 strikes consisting of 41 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed eight ISIS oil stills and damaged five supply routes.

-- Near Hawl, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Raqqa, 17 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 15 fighting positions, two command-and-control nodes, a logistics node and an improvised explosive device factory.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes consisting of 10 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike destroyed two ISIS-held buildings and an explosives cache.

-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.

-- Near Tal Afar, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units; destroyed 36 fighting positions, three heavy machine guns, two medium machine guns, two weapons caches, a command-and-control node and an ISIS-held building; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

Additional Strikes

Additionally, 26 strikes consisting of 59 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 18 and Aug. 28-29 that closed within the last 24 hours:

-- On June 18, near Raqqa, Syria, three strikes destroyed six fighting positions.

-- On Aug. 28, near Raqqa, Syria, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions.

-- On Aug. 29, near Raqqa, Syria, 16 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, a vehicle-borne bomb, a heavy machine gun and a command-and-control node.

-- On Aug. 29, near Rawah, Iraq, two strikes destroyed two vehicle-borne-bomb facilities.

-- On Aug. 29, near Tal Afar, Iraq, two strikes suppressed four ISIS tactical units.

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.