# August 28: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

/ Published Aug. 28, 2016
Southwest Asia, 
August 28, 2016 Release # 20160828-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

**SOUTHWEST ASIA –** On Aug. 27, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes using bomber, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

**Syria***       Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed two ISIL pump jacks.*       Near Al Shadaddi, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.*       Near Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed two ISIL pump jacks.*       Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed five ISIL tanker trucks.*       Near Manbij, two strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed a bed down location and a vehicle.*       Near Mar'a, three strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle.

**Iraq***       Near Al Baghdadi, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed a fighting position and an ammunitions cache.*       Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.*       Near Mosul, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device factory, and a vehicle.*       Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed an assembly area, a front-end loader, and denied access to terrain.*       Near Ramadi, one strike destroyed an ISIL VBIED factory.*       Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position, a vehicle, six rocket systems, seven rocket rails, and suppressed a mortar position and denied access to terrain.

Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.

A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location. So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use. Accordingly, CJTF-OIR 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.

Ground-based artillery fired in counter-fire or in fire support to maneuver roles are not classified as a strike as defined by CJTF-OIR.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 group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.