Military Strikes Target ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Sept. 26, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 40 strikes consisting of 52 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 30 strikes consisting of 31 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS staging area.

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

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed an ISIS headquarters and an ISIS staging area.

-- Near Raqqa, 26 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed 17 fighting positions, two ISIS headquarters and two vehicles.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes consisting of 21 engagements against ISIS targets:

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

-- Near Beiji, two strikes suppressed two ISIS fighting positions.

-- Near Huwijah, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed four weapons caches, three fighting positions, two vehicles, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, a command-and-control node, a staging area, a supply depot and an IED factory.

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

-- Near Rawah, two strikes destroyed an ISIS headquarters and a VBIED.

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

Additional Strikes

Additionally, 10 strikes consisting of 23 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on Sept. 23-24 for which the information was not available in time for the Sept. 25 report:

-- On Sept. 23, near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS command-and-control node.

-- On Sept. 24, near Abu Kamal, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.

-- On Sept. 24, near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed two fighting positions; and damaged an IED factory.

-- On Sept. 24, near Huwijah, Iraq, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed two chemical factories, one command-and-control node, two defensive fighting positions, two IEDs, four vehicles, one heavy equipment machine, two technical vehicles, one camp site, two tunnel systems and one gun truck.

-- On Sept. 24, near Raqqa, Syria, three strikes destroyed an IED, an ISIS fighting position and 11 vehicles.

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.