Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 23, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 25 strikes consisting of 28 engagements between Oct. 21-22, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

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

Strikes in Syria

Yesterday in Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 10 engagements against ISIS targets.

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS vehicle.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes destroyed five defensive fighting positions, four ISIS lines of communication, a vehicle-borne-bomb factory and an ISIS headquarters.

On Oct. 21, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of four engagements against ISIS targets.

-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle-borne-bomb factory, an ISIS-held building and a unmanned aerial vehicle.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Yesterday in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of three engagements against ISIS targets.

-- Near Qaim, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed an improvised explosive device factory and an ISIS-held building.

On Oct. 21, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 11 engagements against ISIS targets.

-- Near Qaim, eight strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed six ISIS vehicles, three ISIS-held buildings, a vehicle-borne-bomb factory, a checkpoint and a petroleum, oil, and lubrication site.

-- Near Rawah, two strikes destroyed an ISIS-held building and a vehicle-borne-bomb factory.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed an ISIS tunnel.

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.