Dec. 25: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
 
  December 25, 2015Release # 20151225-01FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **SOUTHWEST ASIA —** On Dec. 24, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL 
terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces 
conducted 12 strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted 
aircraft.  In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 19 strikes 
coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket 
artillery and attack, fighter, and bomber aircraft against ISIL targets.The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:**Syria***  Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.*  Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL excavators. *  Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL crude oil collection point. * 
 Near Mar'a, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and
 destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and wounded an ISIL fighter.* 
 Near Manbij, five strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and 
destroyed six ISIL vehicles, an ISIL fighting position, and wounded two 
ISIL fighters.**Iraq***  Near Al Baghdadi, three strikes 
struck an ISIL cave complex, an ISIL staging facility, an ISIL staging 
area, and destroyed three ISIL buildings. *  Near Al Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIL trench system. *  Near Kirkuk, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.*  Near Makhmur, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar firing position.  * 
 Near Mosul, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and 
destroyed 13 ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL heavy 
machine gun, five ISIL rockets, four ISIL bunkers, an ISIL command and 
control node, an ISIL assembly area, and suppressed an ISIL mortar 
position. *  Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL 
tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, seven ISIL 
house borne improvised explosive devices (HBIED), three ISIL staging 
areas, three ISIL buildings, two ISIL tunnels, an ISIL homemade 
explosives (HME) cache, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive 
device (VBIED), and denied ISIL access to terrain.  *  Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions.*  Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.*  Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL staging area. 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.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, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 
Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include 
Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United
 Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.