Military Airstrikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, November 2, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

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

Airstrikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 airstrikes in Syria:

-- Near Hawl, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Hasakah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL rocket, two ISIL vehicles, and wounded an ISIL fighter.

-- Near Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and wounded three ISIL fighters.

-- Near Mar’a, six strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL ammo cache, an ISIL staging area, and three ISIL buildings.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, ground attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 airstrikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Beiji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Habbaniyah, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL tactical vehicle.

-- Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Makhmur, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns, three ISIL fighting positions, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed two ISIL tactical vehicles, an ISIL vehicle bomb, two ISIL command and control nodes, four ISIL buildings, two ISIL fighting positions, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Sinjar, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL weapons cache, and two ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates

Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, October 30, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

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

Airstrikes in Syria

Fighter aircraft conducted one airstrike in Syria, destroying an ISIL mortar system near Mara.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 11 airstrikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL weapons and staging areas.

-- Near Beiji, one strike suppressed three ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes suppressed an ISIL mortar position and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Sinjar, four strikes destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, seven ISIL beddown locations, 15 ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL command and control node, three ISIL caches and four ISIL staging areas.

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed 11 ISIL fighting positions and three ISIL assembly areas.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

White House, DoD Step Up Counter-ISIL Campaign in Iraq, Syria

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, October 30, 2015 — Intensifying the campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria will enhance U.S. military strategies that are working while moving away from those that are not, a senior Defense Department official said today.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters on background following the White House announcement on stepping up the anti-ISIL campaign, the official said DoD outlined five objectives that, used in concert, will achieve strategic success.

Concurrent With Existing Campaign

The five objectives will be concurrent with the existing U.S. and coalition forces campaign to maximize pressure on ISIL, the official said. The objectives are designed to:

-- Enhance training in Iraq, particularly in counter-improvised explosive devices, counter-breaching and combined arms to enable Iraqi security forces to take back Ramadi and Beiji from ISIL control. The training is to counter what has become ISIL’s sophisticated use of IEDs.

-- Add new and additional local Syrian forces and equipment to take and ultimately hold the ISIL-declared stronghold of Raqqa. A small complement of special operations forces is deploying to northern Syria to help coordinate local ground forces in advise-and-assist roles, such as operational planning and logistics. The White House said the U.S. special ops forces would number less than 50. The DoD official noted those forces also could be used to support continued raids in Iraq and Syria, but not to participate in joint operations.

-- Secure northern Syria’s border with Turkey to drastically reduce the flow of foreign fighters, material and money to ISIL. Putting pressure on the northern Syria border also is designed to thicken air operations in the region, the official said, with a greater density of planes making airstrikes, in addition to adding a greater density of intelligence assets to develop targets. The White House announcement said A-10s and F-15s will be deployed to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

-- Degrade ISIL lines of communication to strain the connection ISIL extremists have between Raqqa and Mosul in Iraq.

-- Reinforce Jordan’s and Lebanon’s defenses as ISIL is pushed south and west. Enhancing counter-ISIL support in both nations is expected to provide enhanced contingency planning so a strong defense plan is in place and reinforced, the official said. Lebanon likely will have doubled security assistance in its armed forces to protect against ISIL’s and other terrorist groups’ encroachment, the official said.