SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 27, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, 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
Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:
— Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil wellhead.
— Near Raqqa, nine strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed six vehicle-borne bombs, three tactical vehicles, a bridge, a fighting position and a supply cache.
— Near Ayn Isa, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, bomber, and fighter aircraft conducted four strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:
— Near Bashir, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL-held buildings, an observation post and a weapons cache.
— Near Mosul, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed four vehicle-borne bombs, two vehicle-borne-bomb factories, a mortar, an ISIL-held building, a tactical vehicle and a front-end loader; damaged an ISIL-held building, a tunnel and eight ISIL supply routes; disabled a bridge; and suppressed a mortar and an ISIL tactical unit.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.
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 it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL’s ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
