Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Nov. 10, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 23 strikes consisting of 28 engagements Nov. 6-9, 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 11 strikes consisting of 11 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed four ISIS logistics hubs.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, 10 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed an ISIS line of communication, four fighting positions and an ISIS vehicle.

No strikes were reported in Syria on Nov. 8.

On Nov. 7, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of nine engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed a command-and-control center.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed a tactical vehicle and an explosive hazard.

-- Near Shaddadi, a strike destroyed an ISIS fighting position.

On Nov. 6, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of six engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed three command-and-control centers, an anti-air artillery system, a unmanned aerial vehicle facility, a tactical vehicle and an ISIS-held building.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Yesterday in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Qaim, which engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a command-and-control center.

No strikes were reported in Iraq on Nov. 8.

On Nov. 7, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Qaim, which destroyed an ISIS-held building and engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

No strikes were reported in Iraq on Nov. 6.

Previous Strikes

Additionally, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement in Syria on Nov. 5 that was reported too late for the Nov. 6 strike update:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS vehicle.

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.