Dec. 24: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq
 
  December 24, 2015Release # 20151224-01FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **SOUTHWEST ASIA —** On Dec. 23, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL 
terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces 
conducted six strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted 
aircraft.  In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 18 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 destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position. *  Near Mar'a, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL fighting position.* 
 Near Manbij, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and
 destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL logistics facility.**Iraq*** 
 Near Albu Hayat, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed
 an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and 24 ISIL rockets. *  Near Kisik, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position. * 
 Near Mosul, nine strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and 
destroyed 24 ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicles, two ISIL heavy 
machine guns, an ISIL excavator, and an ISIL assembly area. *  
Near Ramadi, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and 
destroyed an ISIL fighting position, five ISIL command and control 
nodes, an ISIL tactical vehicle, an ISIL bed-down location, an ISIL 
artillery site, cratered five ISIL-used roads, and denied ISIL access to
 terrain.  *  Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.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.