# August 27: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

/ Published Aug. 27, 2016
Southwest Asia, 
August 27, 2016 Release # 20160827-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

**SOUTHWEST ASIA –** On Aug. 26, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using ground-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 Manbij, five strikes engaged four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and another vehicle.*       Near Mar'a, two strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, destroyed two fighting positions and an artillery system, and damaged another fighting position.

**Iraq***       Near Fallujah, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit.*       Near Hit, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.*       Near Kisik, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and suppressed a mortar position.*       Near Mosul, one strike engaged an ISIL communications facility.*       Near Qayyarah, three strikes engaged an ISIL VBIED factory, a training camp, and a large tactical unit; destroyed two vehicles and an assembly area; and suppressed two tactical units.*       Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed three fighting positions, a vehicle, and a weapons cache.*       Near Tal Afar, one strike engaged an ISIL safe house.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.